In an interview with Politico on June 13, Traut stated that this is one of the risks at the “highest level” of escalation in conflict. According to him, there are indications that lead Western military circles to suspect Moscow is researching the capability to deploy nuclear weapons in space. When asked whether this scenario was realistic, the German general replied that he “cannot rule out that possibility.”
Mr. Traut emphasized that a nuclear explosion in space would be completely different from a nuclear attack on the ground. However, the consequences could still be very serious for modern society, which relies heavily on satellites for communications, GPS navigation, banking transactions, transportation, weather forecasting, and military systems.
To illustrate this danger, he recalled the 1962 American Starfish Prime nuclear test. At that time, the US detonated a nuclear device at a high altitude outside the atmosphere, creating an electromagnetic pulse and effects that impacted many satellites and electronic systems.
According to the German general's assessment, if a similar explosion were to occur in the current context, up to one-third of the satellites currently operating in low Earth orbit could be disabled in the coming weeks or months.
He also warned that such an explosion could significantly increase the amount of space debris, leading to the risk of a "Kessler syndrome"—a phenomenon where debris collides in a chain reaction, creating countless more fragments and rendering some orbits dangerous or unusable for decades.
These warnings come amid growing Western concerns about threats to space infrastructure. According to Traut, current risks extend beyond the potential deployment of nuclear weapons and include GPS jamming, the use of lasers to blind satellites, or direct attacks on space systems.
He cited the Baltic region as a prime example, where GPS jamming activities have affected both civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Previously, an investigation by German television stations WDR and NDR, citing NATO intelligence sources, also suggested that Russia might be developing a secret project called "Skif." This project is believed to aim at deploying missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean.
According to reports, these missiles could be hidden in silos or containers on the seabed for extended periods and remotely activated when needed, thereby circumventing the restrictions of the 1971 Seabed Arms Control Treaty.
While there is still no publicly available evidence confirming these programs (if any) by Russia, warnings from Western military circles suggest that the strategic competition between Russia and NATO is increasingly expanding into the space sector – a front considered crucial for both economic and national security in the 21st century.
Source: https://danviet.vn/tuong-duc-canh-bao-nong-ve-nga-d1435047.html
