Vladimir Putin could be taking Russia's military into space as security experts flag a 'space warfare domino effect' that could trouble the world, according to a Major General in the German military. Major General Michael Traut has claimed Russia is working on a device that could bring an end to the world as we know it.
Russian Plan to Position Nuclear Devices in Orbit
Putin's plan, according to Traut, is to position nuclear devices in orbit that upon detonation would wipe out global infrastructure. Low-earth orbit satellites would be put at risk of the blast, and anything within 1,200 miles above Earth would be affected. The Major General went on to claim one-third of these low-orbit satellites would be unable to work after the blast.
Electromagnetic Pulse Threatens Global Systems
The device would send off an electromagnetic pulse which could destroy global communications, GPS, banking, and military command. This, according to Metro analyst Juliette Bretan, would mark a space-based warfare that would serve as a domino effect to effectively march us to the end of the world.
Bretan wrote: "This [blast] would also cause space debris, creating a domino effect of further collisions." Elsewhere, Russia is placing its own satellites nearer to military targets in low-earth orbit.
Russia's Satellite Maneuvers Raise Concerns
Bretan added: "Earlier this year, Russia moved satellites close to a radar satellite, operated by a Finnish-Polish company, which is used by Ukrainian armed forces to support intelligence." Experts at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) claim this may either be intimidation tactics, to gather intelligence, to jam data, or to destroy it.
Russia's War with Ukraine Continues
Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine has hit several snags over the last four years. Putin suffered a major blow earlier this month after Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery which will be out of action until 2027. The Gazprom Neft-operated facility, just south of Moscow, was first attacked on June 16, when a distillation unit that accounts for 53% of the refinery's capacity was reportedly damaged. A second attack just two days later is believed to have damaged a more modern Euro+ unit that accounts for the other 47%. "It will take at least half a year to repair," an industry source said of the damage to the Moscow refinery.
