Rome, 16 May 2024 – They emerge new backstory about the days that preceded Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022. While the West wondered whether it should prepare for a conflict with Putinthe Russian president launched into orbit Cosmos-2553, an experimental satellite that can be armed with an atomic warhead. The Wall Street Journal talks about it.
Specifically it is about an anti-nuclear weapon, launched nineteen days before the invasion, capable of destroying dozens if not hundreds of satellites in orbit, sending Western communications networks into a tailspin. Cosmos could, for example, make a difference in the first hours (and not only) of a possible conflict in which NATO is directly involved.
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A satellite
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According to the WSJ, the satellite it would not yet have been armed with an atomic devicebut it already represents a concern for the administration of Joe Biden. A government official told the newspaper that although Russia has never hidden that it launched Cosmos-2553, it has so far presented it as a satellite dedicated to scientific research. Instead, since February 5, 2022, it would have been used as a “research and development platform for the non-nuclear components of a new weapons system”.
Speaking for the first time about this “serious threat to the security” of the United States – then still shrouded in mystery – was the Republican congressman Mike Turner, president of the parliamentary committee on intelligence. In February he called the issue “the Cuban missile crisis taken into space,” asking Biden to reveal its exact nature. The government responded by partly downplaying it, stressing that it was a “serious, but not immediate” threat.
Russia continues to defend itself from the heavy accusation, claiming that the launch of Cosmos-2553 had only scientific intentions. Putin has also repeatedly said he is against the installation of nuclear weapons in space. Yet, the satellite is in a position that is too low for searches, but perfect for hitting the 6,700 US devices in orbit. To restore full operation following any damage it would take more than a year.
