Fears are mounting that Russia could trigger NATO Article 5 and spark all-out war by attacking Western satellites.
Russia has been stalking UK and German military satellites amid concerns of a new frontier emerging in the sky.
Article 5, which states if one NATO country is attacked it will be considered an attack against all members, could be activated if Vladimir Putin launches a satellite assault, NATO officials have warned.
Concerns that Europe could be dragged into further conflict have seen Brussels reveal plans for a space shield as part of a new scheme to prepare for war with Moscow within the next five years.
The EU will build a series of defensive systems which will protect European satellites that deliver military and civilian services, including intelliegence and navigation, from Vladimir Putin.
A European air shield, to defend against incoming missiles and other aerial threats, is being planned.
The shield, along with a counter-drone system and a plans to fortify the eastern border with Russia ‘across land, air and sea’, are part of a ‘roadmap’ for Europe to defend itself by 2030.
Conflict in space is seen as a new battlefield between NATO and Russia.
Fears are mounting that Russia could trigger NATO Article 5 and spark all-out war by attacking Western satellites
It is one of the ‘capability gaps’ identified in a paper published by the European Commission on Thursday.
‘To ensure peace through deterrence, Europe’s defence posture and capabilities must also be ready for the battlefields of tomorrow, in line with the changing nature of warfare. Technological innovation and iteration — developed at speed and scale — will dictate strength on the battlefield,’ a document published on Thursday said.
The new defense plans come amid a surge in Russian provocations across Europe, raising fears that Moscow is testing NATO’s resolve.
The head of UK space command, Major General Paul Tedman, warned this month that Russian forces were stalking British satellites and trying to disrupt military activity.
‘They’ve got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them,’ he said.
Similar warnings emerged from Germany last month.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius revealed that Russia had been tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military.
‘They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites,’ he said at a space conference in Berlin.
The mutual defence policy could be activated if Vladimir Putin launches a satellite assault, NATO officials have warned
While tensions have escalated between NATO and Russia, with Poland and Romania, both member states, reporting drones breaching their airspace.
Estonia, another member, requested urgent consultations with other alliance members in September after Russian warplanes violated its airspace.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said: ‘Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. It is clear we need to toughen our defences against Russia.’
The EU roadmap has triggered tension with NATO because of the similarities in their defence plans.
But earlier this week, Mark Rutte, NATO secretary-general, said: ‘The EU is doing a lot of stuff. We’re doing a lot of stuff. We will make sure that it all works to speed up each other’s initiatives, making use of each other’s strength.’
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