Moscow is developing a weapon to target the Starlink network and thus deprive Ukraine of an important defense tool.
This is the alarm raised by the intelligence services of two NATO countries according to which – reports the Associated Press – the Russian project is that of a “zone effect” system to flood the orbits of Musk’s satellites with hundreds of thousands of high-density projectiles, with the aim of deactivating multiple satellites simultaneously.
Doubts and skepticism among military analysts
However, the warning issued does not convince all analysts. Many believe it is possible that the Kremlin gave a similar order, given the increasingly aggressive attitude in space and the constant rumors of a space-based nuclear weapon.
Many others, however, are skeptical as such a weapon would cause uncontrollable chaos in space for many countries, including Russia and its ally China. Both depend on satellites in orbit for communication, defense and other vital needs.
Why Starlink is crucial for Ukrainian defense
However, Starlink is considered a serious threat by Moscow: its low-orbit satellites have in fact proven crucial to Ukraine’s resistance to its invasion. Kiev’s troops use its high-speed internet for battlefield communications and also for civilian use.
Without Starlink it would be much more difficult for Ukrainian forces to defend themselves and try to attack. However, striking Starlink risks causing quite a few problems for Moscow.
The political consequences and the role of Elon Musk
Beyond the effects in space, of which Russia would be the first to pay the consequences, there are the political ones. The company is headed by Elon Musk, a former member of the Trump administration and a major financier of the Republican Party.
Even if the idyll with the American president has partly faded, Musk and Trump have recently become closer and the billionaire continues to have close relationships with the tycoon’s children and with vice president JD Vance. Targeting a US company could therefore be very risky for the Kremlin and trigger American retaliation.
The risk of an unprecedented orbital war
The projectiles of a potential “zone effect” weapon – the experts explain – would actually be so small (in the order of a few millimetres) that they would escape terrestrial and space detection systems. But it is also true that the truth about who carried out the attack would eventually be discovered, exposing Russia to potential “revenge” from the Stars and Stripes.