As on most days, the drumbeat from Europe, of Russian plans to attack in the near future, had continued. Russia’s RT news site, which obviously keeps a watch for such Western claims, reported that a report by Sweden’s Defense Committee is warning that a Russia-NATO conflict could kick off “in the relatively near future.”
The security paper, released on June 12 and endorsed by the Swedish government and all parliamentary parties, brands Russia a “long-term threat” and claims that Moscow could seek to “test NATO’s cohesion and the credibility of Article 5” [of NATO, its common defense article—pbg] if it sees “favorable” political conditions—whatever that may mean; the report doesn’t say. But casting that caution aside, the document also claims that Moscow could engage in hostilities “even if the military balance of power does not meet traditional requirements for an attack.”
In Germany, Major General Michael Traut, commander of the Bundeswehr Space Command, told Politico in an interview that he cannot rule out that Russia is working on technology to place a nuclear warhead in space, warning that such a move could cripple satellite services and make parts of orbit unusable for decades.
“At the very top end of escalation, there is the suspicion that Russia may be working on technology to place a nuclear explosive device in orbit,” Traut said at the ILA Berlin air show. Asked whether he considered that realistic, Traut said: “I cannot rule it out.”
