For the first time in more than 30 years, Russia may be edging closer to restarting nuclear weapons testing a move that experts warn could escalate global tensions and fuel fresh fears of World War 3.
According to Moscow-based defense analyst Dmitry Stefanovich, the possibility of new tests has become more realistic than at any point since North Korea’s last nuclear trial in 2017. Stefanovich, who works at the Russian Centre for International Security, noted that Russia’s Arctic test site on the Novaya Zemlya islands is reportedly in full readiness should President Vladimir Putin authorize its use.
Recent reports suggest that Russian lawmakers and military officials supportive of the Ukraine war have already toured the Soviet-era nuclear range. Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulev even hinted at its operational status, writing:
“The only thing I can say is we’re fully combat ready.”
Rear Admiral Andrei Sinitsyn, head of the facility, went further, openly declaring:
“The test site is ready to resume full-scale testing activities. The laboratory and personnel are prepared. If the order is given, we will begin testing at any moment.”
While some Russian hardliners are pushing for a fresh detonation as a symbolic warning to the West, Stefanovich stressed there is no technical necessity for such tests. Modern technology already allows Russia to verify its warheads without live detonations. However, he warned that as a new generation of officials rises in Russia’s nuclear sector, internal pressure to conduct tests could intensify over the next decade.
The Novaya Zemlya site is infamous in Cold War history. It was here, on October 30, 1961, that the Soviet Union detonated the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear device ever built. Its blast created shockwaves that circled the globe multiple times, with a mushroom cloud reaching more than 37 miles into the atmosphere. Between 1955 and 1990, the USSR conducted 130 nuclear tests at this site 86 atmospheric, 39 underground, and 3 underwater.
If Russia were to restart testing, it would mark a significant shift in global security dynamics and likely trigger international alarm. Analysts warn it could also complicate the already fragile situation surrounding the war in Ukraine, Western sanctions, and Russia’s strained relations with NATO.
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