NATO Secretary General: Russia may deploy Russian weapons in space
NATO President Mark Rutte said that Russia is considering using nuclear weapons against satellites in space, which would constitute a violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
NATO is concerned that Russia may be considering placing nuclear weapons in outer space to target satellites.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned of this possibility in an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
He said that Moscow’s space capabilities are outdated compared to the West, “Therefore, developing nuclear weapons in space is a way for Russia to improve its capabilities… This is very worrying”.
Although the weapons wouldn’t target Earth, shooting down satellites could have serious consequences, as many of the systems we use rely on them, including navigation and communications systems, as well as environmental monitoring.
Rutte added that such a move by Russia would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the United States and the Soviet Union at the time.
This treaty still provides a framework for international space law and prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space.
According to Rutte, NATO member states are beginning to prepare for new challenges by sharing intelligence and developing better-protected satellites.
“In recent years, space has become crowded, dangerous, and unpredictable… We know that competition in space is fierce and getting fiercer, and not just commercially… This affects our entire security”.
