Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed his top officials to submit proposals on the possibility of resuming what his defense minister called “full-scale” nuclear weapons tests in response to President Trump’s order for the US military to conduct nuclear tests.
It was unclear from Trump’s initial order, which he gave in a post on Truth Social, if he was referring to testing nuclear-capable weapons or actually resuming nuclear explosions, which US Energy Secretary Chris Wright later said was not on the table, at least for now.
Nevertheless, Trump’s order set off alarm bells in Moscow and around the world about the prospect of the US detonating nuclear weapons, something the US, Russia, and every other nuclear-armed power, besides North Korea, haven’t done since the 1990s.
At a meeting of the Russian Security Council on Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said it was important to analyze US actions related to its strategic weapons, not just comments from US officials. He pointed to the modernization of the US nuclear triad, President Trump’s order to develop a new “Golden Dome” missile defense system, and the fact that the US has pulled out of several arms control treaties in recent years.
“In view of the above, I believe it is advisable to begin preparations for full-scale nuclear tests immediately. The operational capability at the Central Test Site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago allows for the rapid initiation of test preparations,” Belousov said, according to the Kremlin website.
Sergey Shoigu, the secretary of the Security Council, said that based on comments from US officials, Russia was “not entirely clear about the United States’ future plans and steps regarding nuclear weapons testing.” Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said it would take anywhere from several months to several years to resume nuclear tests.
Putin said that Russia would maintain its moratorium on testing nuclear weapons in line with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), but that Moscow would respond if the US or any other party conducts such tests. The US is a signatory to the CTBT but has never ratified it. Russia did ratify the treaty in 2000 but withdrew the ratification in 2023, saying it was “mirroring” the US position.
“In this regard, I instruct the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the special services, and the corresponding civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information on this matter, have it analysed by the Security Council, and submit coordinated proposals on the possible first steps focusing on preparations for nuclear weapons tests,” Putin said.
Also on Wednesday, the US military launched an unarmed nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a Space Force base in California. The US typically launches several ICBMs per year, and the test on Wednesday was described as “routine,” though it comes after Trump’s order. Before Trump’s post, which directed the US War Department to “start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” as other countries, Russia tested a new nuclear-capable missile and a nuclear-capable drone.
