Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, during a Security Council meeting, proposed to President Vladimir Putin the resumption of large-scale nuclear weapons tests in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. This was reported by the Kremlin press service.
Belousov emphasized that the US has been gradually withdrawing from international agreements on arms reduction and control in recent years. According to him, Washington is actively modernizing its strategic offensive weapons, and this process has created a new level of military threat for Moscow.
"U.S. actions represent a serious threat to Russian security. Therefore, we must maintain our nuclear potential in a state of readiness under any circumstances and be able to adequately respond to the country's interests. "From this point of view, I believe it is advisable to start preparations for nuclear tests now," Belousov said at the meeting.
Putin, however, reacted cautiously to the minister's proposal and has not yet made a definitive decision on this matter. The head of state instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and special services to gather additional information on US nuclear activities, as well as to prepare coordinated proposals for possible practical measures.
For information, the last nuclear test at the Novaya Zemlya test site was conducted on October 24, 1990. In December of the same year, the Russian government declared a moratorium on such tests, and in 1996, Moscow and Washington joined the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. However, neither country has yet ratified this document.
In recent months, the nuclear dispute between Russia and the US has intensified again. On October 26, 2025, Vladimir Putin announced the successful testing of the "Burevestnik" cruise missile and the "Poseidon" drone. Both systems are equipped with nuclear power plants.
Following this news, US President Donald Trump also stated in his statement that America is preparing to resume nuclear weapons tests on "equal terms" with other countries.
Thus, global competition for nuclear weapons is gaining momentum again. International experts assess this process as a possible start of a "cold war" between the new powers.
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