Vladimir Putin could trigger “Doomsday” with a rumoured terrifying new weapon, an expert on the Russian despot has said.
Professor Mark Galeotti, who penned a biography on the dictator, said the threat of Russia putting nuclear weapons in space should not be underestimated. It comes after US intelligence reported a “serious national security threat” as Russia plans to arm satellites with devastating weaponry.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Galeotti said the assessment by US intelligence was merely “euphemistic”. He said: “It is no exaggeration to call the advent of space nukes a Doomsday scenario.”
Mr Galeotti added: “Earlier today, one MoD analyst told me that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was increasingly resembling 007’s arch-enemy, Blofeld. These days, Putin is almost enjoying looking like a Bond villain. Even if we think it is unlikely he’d deploy or use a weapon like this, he knows we have to take it seriously.”
While the reported weapon is understood to not yet be operational, it could threaten the US’ satellite network, NBC News reported.
Moscow denies the existence of the weapon.
The US House Intelligence Committee has called for Joe Biden to declassify information about the “threat.”
Republican congressman Mike Turner sent an email to members of Congress on Wednesday saying his committee had “identified an urgent matter with regard to a destabilising foreign military capability” that should be known to all congressional policymakers.
US satellites are critical for civilian communications, navigation, military operations and intelligence gathering for the Western superpower.
An aide, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Sky News it was not yet clear if the Russian weapon has nuclear capability, but said that is the fear.
The Kremlin’s Deputy Foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov denied the reports and told the state-run news agency TASS they were a “malicious fabrication”.
He claimed the reports were a front to try and convince US lawmakers to approve more money for supporting Ukraine and countering Moscow.
Russia’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS: “It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to allocate money, this is obvious.”
White House officials say the threat is “serious” but does not need to be cause for mass panic.
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned against Americans being too alarmed by the claims.
While Dr Bleddyn Bowen, an associate professor at the University of Leicester who specialises in outer space international relations and warfare, told the Guardian that the lack of detail was no reason to panic, saying: “It’s so vague and cryptic, it could be a number of different things. [But] no matter what they are, none of them are a big deal, to be honest. Everyone needs to calm down about this.”
