Russian Nuclear Test Chief Asserts Moscow is Prepared to Resume Testing ‘At Any Moment’ – Reuters

By Andrew Osborn

The leader of Russia’s nuclear testing facility announced on Tuesday that the site is poised to resume nuclear tests “at any moment” if directed by Moscow. This statement, which is notable for its rarity, is likely to increase concerns about the rising risk of such tests.

Since 1990, the year prior to the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russia has refrained from conducting any nuclear weapons tests. Nonetheless, some analysts from both Western and Russian spheres speculate that President Vladimir Putin may consider a test to convey a deterrent message to the West if it permits Ukraine to utilize its long-range missiles against Russian territory, a topic currently under debate.

A nuclear test by Russia could provoke other nations, including China and the United States, to follow suit, potentially igniting a new nuclear arms race among the world’s major powers—this after a period of cessation in nuclear testing following the Soviet Union’s dissolution.

Russia’s nuclear testing site is situated in the isolated Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, where the Soviet Union carried out over 200 nuclear tests, including the detonation of the most powerful nuclear bomb in history in 1961. The facility is closely monitored by Western reconnaissance satellites, particularly in light of visible construction activities last summer revealed in publicly available satellite imagery.

Rear Admiral Andrei Sinitsyn, who oversees the testing site, provided an interview to the Russian government’s official newspaper, detailing the facility’s readiness for full-scale testing activities. This interview appeared shortly after Putin expressed grave warnings to the West regarding support for Ukraine’s military actions against Russia.

“The test site is fully prepared for the resumption of testing activities,” Sinitsyn declared. “Laboratory and testing facilities are operational, and personnel are ready. If the order is given, we can commence testing at any time.”

In the interview, Sinitsyn described the facility as being in a constant state of readiness, secured by elite military units. He emphasized the importance of meeting state requirements, stating that if a decision is made to resume tests, it will be executed within the designated timelines.

In November, Putin retracted Russia’s ratification of the international treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons tests, indicating a desire to align Russia with the United States, which signed but did not ratify the treaty. At that time, Russian diplomats stated that Moscow would refrain from nuclear testing unless the U.S. did the same. In June, Putin acknowledged the possibility of testing a nuclear weapon “if necessary,” but asserted there was no immediate requirement.

The last nuclear test conducted by the U.S. took place in 1992, and North Korea is the only country to have performed a nuclear explosion in the current century.

In May, a senior figure at a Russian think tank, known for ideas that sometimes align with government policy, proposed considering a “demonstrative” nuclear test to intimidate the West. Dmitry Suslov argued in a business magazine that Russia must take action to deter the West from overstepping boundaries.

He opined that the “political and psychological effect of a nuclear mushroom cloud, broadcasted live across global TV networks, may remind Western leaders of the critical deterrent that has prevented conflicts between great powers since 1945—fear of nuclear war.”