A threat to be taken seriously?
On Wednesday, Republican Representative Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, asked members of Congress to review “information relating to a serious threat to national security.”
What was the chosen one referring to?
The American press quickly looked into the subject and wasted no time in revealing: a supposed Russian project to manufacture a space nuclear weapon.
What would the project be?
According to ABC News, Russia would like to develop a nuclear weapon and then send it into space.
The objective would not be to “bombard the Earth” but to “potentially use it on satellites”, several sources told the American channel.
For the Politico site, Moscow could look into manufacturing a Zircon 3M22 hypersonic missile capable of reaching a speed of Mach 8 (9,500 km/h).
Why would it be worrying?
Such a weapon could, according to the New York Times, destroy the means of communication and surveillance used by the United States and its allies.
The American daily specifies that Washington is, as it stands, not in a position to counter this possible threat.
In addition, it would be a violation by Russia of the 1967 space treaty, as a member of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute recalled in the columns of the Telegraph.
This treaty notably prohibits signatory states, including the United States and Russia, from placing nuclear weapons outside of Earth and therefore in space.
Where would the project be?
According to ABC News and New York Times, who cite anonymous American officials, the project is only in the development stage and does not pose an immediate threat.
What reactions in the United States?
Mike Johnson, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, wanted to reassure the American people after this announcement which caused a stir in the country.
“It is not necessary” and “there is no reason” to be alarmed, declared the elected official in comments transcribed by The Hill.
Mike Turner's revelations about this supposed project would have enraged the White House, according to the New York Times, which fears that American intelligence sources in Russia may be compromised.
What reaction from Russia?
All this information published in the American press was described as “unfounded” by Russia this Thursday.
“We constantly repeat that we will not respond in any way to the various unfounded accusations.
If they make statements, they should at least back them up with evidence,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian news agencies.
For the Kremlin, it would in fact be a “ruse” by the White House to push Congress to adopt the important aid package of 60 billion dollars for Ukraine, which has been blocked for several months .
“It is clear that the White House is trying, rightly or wrongly, to encourage Congress to pass the budget law, that is obvious,” said its spokesperson Dmitri Peskov.