Alex Bruno
The commander of the British armed forces allegedly warned Vladimir Putin might strike the UK from space, taking out its communications infrastructure and cutting it off from the rest of the globe. According to Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the Russian president is capable of launching an assault against GPS and communication satellites that might devastate the West.
Since the commencement of the crisis in Ukraine in February, the Russian president has repeatedly threatened Western nations and said he would be willing to use nuclear weapons to protect Russian sovereignty.
Russia’s formal annexation of four districts of Ukraine has further exacerbated the issue since it allows him to argue that any assault on that territory is an attack on Russia, even if the annexation has not been widely recognized by the international community.
The complete range of tools Putin may use against the West, from sabotage of submarines and nuclear weapons to an information war, have been highlighted by Sir Tony.
While the continuing invasion of Ukraine has dealt Putin’s forces multiple humiliating setbacks, including the liberation of some captured territories, Sir Tony cautioned against underestimating Russia’s capabilities.
The Telegraph quoted him as saying: “It has space capability. That was shown at the end of last year when Russia detonated an object in space, leaving behind a massive amount of debris. Russia is capable of using nuclear weapons and submersibles. Western nations are also looking into a number of explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline this week.
Sir Tony acknowledged that Russia was not solely to blame but said that the country “has the power to disrupt in other areas in addition to what it is doing in Ukraine, what it is doing in energy, and what it is doing in these geopolitical and information fights.”
A satellite 300 miles above the planet was destroyed during a ground-based missile test conducted by Moscow last year. Meanwhile, a GPS system assault might interfere with sat-nav systems, thereby creating problems for both security personnel and citizens.
Because it avoids an assault directly on another country’s land and may not face the same level of public backlash as his invasion of Ukraine, Putin may be tempted to strike satellites. Sir Tony said, though, that he was certain that the UK would “overcome the pressure” Russia was putting on the West.
In the largest territorial grab since the Second World War, Putin proclaimed the annexation of four areas of Ukraine on Friday and threatened to protect them with “all means necessary.” After organizing fake referendums, Putin publicly signed documents designating Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as parts of Russia.
Source: The Mirror
