Breaking News: DOGE Operatives Created Potential Russian 'Back Door' To US Nuclear Power Grid and Weapons Stockpile

As Spain investigates a massive power failure, we face an urgent question here at home: Has Russia already burrowed into America's nuclear infrastructure through Elon Musk's DOGE?

Spain went dark yesterday. Fifty million people suddenly plunged into a nightmare with no warning. Elevators froze. Traffic lights died. Operating rooms switched to emergency power. Cell networks collapsed. Money became useless as ATMs and credit cards failed simultaneously.

The power grid that sustains modern civilization vanished in an instant, and today Spain's Supreme Court is investigating it as potential "cyberterrorism."

Now imagine that happening here - but worse. Much worse. Because while Spain scrambles to restore basic services, America faces a far more dangerous question: Have Russian operatives already penetrated our nuclear networks through Elon Musk's DOGE?

THE BREACH NOBODY'S TALKING ABOUT

Here's what we know for certain: Two DOGE staffers were given accounts on America's most classified nuclear networks, according to NPR. Not Defense Department professionals. Not nuclear scientists. A 23-year-old former SpaceX intern named Luke Farritor and a Miami venture capitalist named Adam Ramada.

These aren't ordinary networks. The NNSA Enterprise Secure Network holds the design specifications for our nuclear weapons. SIPRNet contains communications about nuclear weapons deployment. Access typically requires a "Q" clearance - the highest level at the DOE.

When NPR broke this story, the Department of Energy first lied outright: "This reporting is false. No DOGE personnel have accessed these NNSA systems." Hours later, they changed their tune: OK fine, the accounts exist but they "were never activated."

That second lie is even more dangerous than the first.

Spain plunged into darkness

WHY "NEVER ACTIVATED" IS A DANGEROUS LIE

The DOE's "never activated" claim is meaningless - and they know it. Whistleblower Daniel Berulis already exposed exactly how Russians breached the National Labor Relations Board, and it makes the DOE's denials look like either incompetence or deliberate deception.

Berulis revealed that Russian IP addresses breached NLRB systems using newly-created DOGE credentials through sophisticated tunneling techniques. They used Starlink - Musk's satellite internet service - which Berulis's attorney called a "direct pipeline to Russia."

Here's the critical part everyone's missing: These tunneling methods intentionally bypass normal system monitoring. They're specifically designed to leave no conventional "activation" footprint.

In other words, if Russians are using the same techniques they used at NLRB, the DOE's monitoring would show "never activated" accounts - even as nuclear data flows straight to Moscow.

THE STAKES COULDN'T BE HIGHER

We're not talking about payroll data or procurement records. The Department of Energy controls America's nuclear weapons stockpile and oversees our civilian nuclear power plants. Berulis's attorney warned that DOGE engineers "have allowed specific critical infrastructure and other agencies such as within the Department of Energy, where you have nuclear regulatory agencies overseeing our nuclear stockpile... open to the open internet."

Systems designed to be completely isolated from the outside world are now "open to the open internet" - the same internet where Russian IP addresses already breached the NLRB using DOGE credentials.

This isn't just about data theft. Critical infrastructure attacks could affect both defense systems and civilian power generation while potentially compromising safety protocols that prevent radiation releases.

Spain's blackout looks mild compared to what could happen if bad actors gain control of nuclear infrastructure.

A PATTERN OF RUSSIAN PENETRATION

This nuclear network access isn't happening in isolation. It's part of a clear pattern:

• Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a 19-year-old DOGE coder who had access to multiple government agencies, is the grandson of KGB agent Valery Martynov

• Sam Corcos remains on DOGE payroll despite his wife's ties to GVA Capital, a venture firm for sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov - one of Putin's closest allies

• Former DOGE staffer Branden Spikes had connections to a board member of the FSB front "Congress of Russian Americans"

• German authorities just arrested two Russian operatives who had Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's personal phone number

This isn't a series of unfortunate coincidences. It's a coordinated, multi-level Russian operation penetrating America's most sensitive government systems from multiple angles simultaneously.

SPAIN'S BLACKOUT: A WARNING WE CAN'T IGNORE

Spain and Portugal are living through exactly what happens when critical infrastructure fails. People trapped in elevators and subways. Intersections turned into demolition derbies as traffic lights died. Airports and train stations became prison camps for stranded travelers. Cell networks and internet connections evaporated. Hospitals scrambled to keep patients alive on backup power. ATMs and payment systems crashed, making money worthless exactly when people needed it most.

Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica claimed it wasn't a cyberattack, but Spain's Supreme Court isn't buying it. Court documents directly state "cyberterrorism is one of the possible options." Portuguese officials floated the idea of a "rare atmospheric phenomenon," but Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned against misinformation and insisted "all potential causes" are being investigated.

This is what an infrastructure attack looks like in real time. Now imagine that same scenario with the added horror of nuclear safety systems potentially compromised. That's what we're risking by allowing DOGE access to our nuclear networks.

THE QUESTIONS THAT DEMAND ANSWERS

Let's connect these dots: DOGE created access points to nuclear networks. They staffed positions with people tied to Russian interests. They've already facilitated Russian access to government databases. The DOE has contradicted itself repeatedly, offering meaningless "never activated" claims that provide zero actual security guarantees.

Americans deserve straight answers:

1. Why were inexperienced DOGE staffers given accounts on nuclear networks in the first place?

2. Has anyone at DOE specifically checked for the tunneling techniques Russians already used successfully at NLRB?

3. Is Starlink - already described as a "direct pipeline to Russia" - connected to any critical infrastructure?

4. How many other government systems have been opened to "the open internet" by DOGE?

Spain's blackout isn't theoretical. It's happening right now. The vulnerability DOGE created in our nuclear networks makes a similar or worse attack possible here. The signs of Russian operational infiltration are everywhere, and the risks couldn't be higher. The only question is whether we'll act? Or perhaps can we act?

© 2025 Zev Shalev