Starlink in Putin’s sights as Russia plots a mysterious space weapon to change wars beyond earth

A new intelligence warning has raised fears that Russia could be preparing to take the Ukraine war beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Western agencies believe Moscow is developing a radical anti-satellite weapon designed to cripple Elon Musk’s Starlink network, a system vital to Ukraine’s battlefield operations. The alleged “zone-effect” weapon could flood low-Earth orbit with dense pellets, threatening not just Starlink but other satellites as well. With Russia and China both studying ways to neutralise space assets, experts warn this could mark the opening of a dangerous new era of space warfare.