A nuclear detonation in space could cause the rapid loss or degradation of satellites belonging to governments and companies around the world, the agency said. Radiation belts left by the explosion could persist for years, damaging spacecraft that initially experienced only temporary disruption.
“Russia is developing a satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon despite its obligation to comply with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty,” the DIA said in its assessment. The treaty prohibits placing objects carrying nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction into orbit around Earth.
The report also highlighted Cosmos 2553, launched by Russia in February 2022 into an unusual, isolated orbit unused by other spacecraft. Moscow said at the time that the satellite was testing the effects of space radiation on electronic systems.
The nuclear satellite program is one element of a wider Russian effort to challenge U.S. military advantages in space, according to the agency. Moscow sees American dependence on satellites for precision strikes and military operations abroad as a vulnerability it could exploit during a conflict.
Russian doctrine calls for a range of ways to attack those systems, from temporary jamming and sensor blinding to the destruction of spacecraft and ground infrastructure. The DIA said Moscow views selective attacks on an adversary’s space systems as a means of managing escalation.
The war in Ukraine has reinforced Russia’s interest in disrupting commercial satellite services while expanding its own capabilities, the report said. Satellite communications have provided durable connections for Ukrainian forces, prompting Moscow to jam commercial constellations and designate terminals and satellites supporting Ukraine as legitimate military targets.
Attacks on the infrastructure supporting those services have already caused disruption beyond Ukraine. Immediately before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian malware disrupted Viasat satellite communications services for 50,000 users across Ukraine and other European countries, according to the DIA.
Russia also fields ground-based lasers designed to interfere with satellites observing its territory, the agency said. Its Peresvet system, intended to dazzle satellite optical sensors and conceal strategic missile movements, remains deployed with five strategic missile divisions.
Another laser system, Kalina, is intended to permanently damage satellite sensors and could threaten other spacecraft components. The project has suffered repeated delays, although the DIA said construction activity beginning in 2022 suggested it may be nearing completion.
Russia demonstrated a destructive missile capability in November 2021, when its Nudol system struck a defunct Russian satellite at an altitude of 470 kilometers. The test generated more than 1,700 pieces of trackable debris and tens of thousands of smaller fragments, some of which remain in orbit.
The agency also described Russian satellites testing technologies that could be used to attack other spacecraft. Cosmos 2543 fired a projectile during an orbital anti-satellite weapons test in 2020, while Cosmos 2588, launched in May 2025, has maneuvered within approximately 93 kilometers of a U.S. government satellite.
Russia’s weapons development comes as its own space industry struggles with sanctions, component shortages, corruption and the departure of engineers, according to the report. Many of its intelligence and surveillance satellites are nearing or have exceeded their design lifespans, increasing the military’s reliance on civilian spacecraft.
Moscow has increasingly adopted Chinese components as sanctions restrict access to Western microelectronics, the agency said. Russian government and military-related organizations have also sought Chinese satellite support for operations in Ukraine and help maintaining Russia’s space capabilities.
The findings appear in the DIA’s “Challenges to Security in Space 2026: Congestion, Competition, and Cooperation”, which has an information cutoff of July 2026. The report examines Russia’s military space capabilities, weapons development and the industrial constraints affecting its satellite programs.
