© Wikipedia / US Air ForceConcept art from 1984: Nuclear reactor-packed satellite fires lasers at a hostile space object.
The analysis of the "probable actions" of Washington shows that Americans are seeking to achieve strategic superiority through the so-called 'on-start interception' doctrine, Deputy Chief of the General Staff operative command Lieutenant General Viktor Poznikhir said Wednesday. Under such a plan, the US would seek to destroy the "overwhelming majority" of their adversaries' missiles while the munitions are still sitting in their silos.
Washington's intentions to create a space-based layer of the strike anti-missile systems to hit ballistic missiles at early flight stages are particularly concerning. Basically, it's revival of the 1980s concept of 'Star Wars,'" the official stated.
The militarization of space prompts fears that Washington might be seeking to try and attempt a preemptive strike on its adversaries - like Russia and China, Poznikhir said. Basically, it raises the same concerns as the sprawling US "missile defense" in Europe - Moscow has long suspected it can be easily tweaked to launch offensive weaponry instead of interceptor missiles.
Comment: Putin is also directing the Russian Central Bank to increase its holdings of gold. It has purchased 56 tons of gold in the first 3 months of 2019 alone. Sanctions from the US have led Russia to reduce its dependence on the petrodollar and to diversify its foreign reserves. Were the anti-Russian sanctions meant to strengthen the Russian economy? That's what it's doing.