Russian deputy-minister Sergei Ryabkov made unclear statements bout nuclear testing plans early this morning. “This is a question at hand“ he told reporters when asked about test resumption; the official didnt give a clear yes-or-no answer
Back in fall Ryabkov mentioned that Vladimir Putin wouldnt do tests if US stays away from them but situation has changed since then. Russia hasnt done any nuclear explosions since early 90s (when USSR was still around)
This month Putin changed rules for nuclear-weapon use — its now possible to use them if someone attacks Russia or Belarus with regular weapons that might hurt their land or power. The change happened cause US let Ukraine shoot at Russian territory with western-made missiles
The testing ground sits on far-away Novaya Zemlya islands in Arctic Ocean where USSR did more than:
- 200 nuclear blasts
- Various military experiments
- Scientific research projects
Last year Putin un-signed the no-testing agreement to match US position (they never made it official in first place). The test site — frozen piece of land surrounded by cold seas — stays ready for use whenever Moscow decides its time to break the long pause