Amid growing geopolitical tensions, U.S. intelligence agencies have alerted European allies to the potential of Russia deploying a nuclear weapon into space within the year. This possible escalation has raised concerns, although it is also speculated that Russia could launch a non-threatening “dummy” warhead as a strategic feint.
During urgent classified briefings with NATO and Asian partners, this information came to light, while public knowledge of these assessments began to trickle out. Intelligence officials in the United States hold differing views on the intentions of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.
President Putin, responding to these assessments on Tuesday, firmly denied any plans to deploy nuclear arms in space. Alongside Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu, he upheld Russia’s adherence to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, banning the militarization of space and specifically the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit.
In remarks to Russian state media, Putin has suggested a continual commitment to these international accords and has called for collective efforts to reinforce them.
On the following day, Putin visited a national aviation manufacturing site and was seen in a Tu-160M strategic bomber’s payload bay. This latest bomber, capable of reaching the United States and designed to carry nuclear armaments, symbolizes both Russia’s defense strategy and technological capabilities.
Furthermore, President Putin has openly expressed his determination to modernize Soviet-era arsenal systems. He has brought attention to new technologies under development, such as the Poseidon nuclear torpedo—an unmanned system envisioned to traverse the Pacific without human oversight and target America’s West Coast.
