Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/318319 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
SWP Comment No. 21/2025
Publisher: 
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin
Abstract: 
According to the US government, the Russian government is developing a programme to arm some of its satellites with nuclear warheads. Should the Kremlin acquire this capability, it could destroy key parts of the civilian satellite infrastructure by detonating a single nuclear weapon in low Earth orbit. Important US military satellites are also located in space. The use of Russian nuclear weapons there could severely weaken the US military and potentially trigger a military escalation on Earth. The deployment of a nuclear warhead in space would constitute a violation of the Outer Space Treaty. The development of this capability appears to align with Russia's strategic approach of undermining the established international order and engaging in high-risk actions to extract concessions from the West, particularly in the context of Ukraine. The Kremlin is also attempting to incorporate the increasingly militarised domain of space into this strategy by using non-nuclear anti-satellite weapons. Europe must be prepared to address this ongoing challenge.
Subjects: 
Russia
United States
China
satellites
Cosmos 2553
nuclear warheads
low Earth orbit
military escalation
Ukraine
Outer Space Treaty
jamming and spoofing
electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Research Report

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