‘US to unleash space weapons if Putin plays nuclear card’

The short answer is no. These drills are in reality annual exercises in which Russia practises its strategic nuclear forces, and the link with the Ukraine conflict is tenuous at best. In fact, the USA was forewarned of the launching of ballistic missiles and air-launched ordnances under the terms of the New Start treaty. The Russians complied with the current arms control obligations.However, and true to form, they are also unable to let such matters pass without a propaganda dig at the west. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared on TV to say that the aim of the exercise was to practise carrying out “a massive nuclear strike by the strategic nuclear forces in retaliation for the enemy’s nuclear strike”. No mention here of getting your pre-emptive media strike in first too, of course.Russia’s National Defence magazine also piled in, with its editor reportedly saying that if Russia had to retaliate to a first strike by the USA and its nuclear-armed NATO allies (ie Britain and France), Britain would be submerged beneath the Atlantic Ocean and instead of the United States there would be a new naval strait named after Joseph Stalin. The French would appear to have got off lightly though!In other developments, Russia has also threatened to shoot down western-owned commercial and military satellites if they continue, as they allege, to provide critical information and intelligence to Ukraine to assist their war effort. US to unleash secret space weapons if Putin plays nuclear card, says STUART CRAWFORD (Image: GETTY)Actually, it’s an open secret that much of the success of the Ukrainian armed forces in countering the Russian military invasion is down to precise and timely intelligence from western intelligence-gathering assets, whether it be via satellites, people on the ground (HUMINT), or from the flock of aircraft and other airborne platforms that patrol the borders of Russia and Ukraine.That the Russians have the wherewithal to shoot down satellites in orbit there is little doubt; they have demonstrated this in tests in the past. However, such experiments have been carried out in a ‘threat vacuum’, with no enemy attempting to prevent them doing so. Again, no one will be surprised to learn that the Americans already have what they might call euphemistically ‘space based weapons’ (who said directed energy weapons on satellites?), so if Russia did decide to shoot down western orbiting platforms it might not be quite so easy as they might think.We should also, if only in the interests of balance, point out that NATO too has been carrying out its own nuclear response drills, in the form of Exercise Steadfast Noon, over the past fortnight.  Based this year at the Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium, one of six airbases in Europe that store US nuclear bombs, it is exercise which aims to train NATO aircrews how to use them.This year it has involved more than 60 aircraft, including fourth-generation F-16s and F-15Es as well as fifth-generation F-35A and F-22 fighter jets,  from 14 countries. And it is scheduled to last for a fortnight up until the October 30. And the NATO press release about it has been quite clear; ‘it is a routine, recurring training activity and it is not linked to any current world events.’So, honours even between Russia and NATO I would suggest. Both seem to be carrying out nuclear response drills not related to the war in Ukraine. But, never shy about letting the facts get in the way of some easy propaganda, the Russians haven’t exactly played events with a straight bat.The reason? They are losing in Ukraine, and any obfuscation and/or seemingly plausible declaration that might help their cause will do. Putin still hopes that he can bully the west into submission and frighten NATO into letting him have a free hand with his expansionist ambitions. I suspect he, his inner cabal, and the Russian people are now realising that this is unlikely to be the case.Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a former Army officer, author and broadcaster.