Russia launched a satellite, Cosmos-2553, into space in February 2022 . The satellite is designed to test components for a potential antisatellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device, U.S. officials said, according to the WSJ. The satellite that was launched doesn’t carry a nuclear weapon…The eventual weapon, if and when deployed in orbit, could wipe out satellites in a part of space dominated by American government and commercial assets, they said, including SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which has proved critical for Ukraine’s war effort.

Excerpt from Warren P. Strobel, Russia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon Two Years Ago, U.S. Officials Say, WSJ, May 16, 2024