Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov recently proposed to President Vladimir Putin at a Security Council meeting to resume nuclear weapons testing in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This information was announced by the Kremlin press service. According to Belousov, the United States has gradually withdrawn from international arms reduction and control agreements in recent years.
He stated that Washington is modernizing its strategic offensive arms, which poses new military threats to Russia. "These actions pose a serious threat to our country's security.
Therefore, we must keep our nuclear potential ready under any circumstances and be able to respond appropriately if necessary. For this reason, it is appropriate to begin preparations for nuclear tests," Belousov said.
President Vladimir Putin responded cautiously to this proposal. He said he has not yet made a definite decision on the matter and ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and special services to gather additional information about US nuclear activities and prepare proposals on possible measures.
According to information, the last nuclear test at the Novaya Zemlya test site was conducted on October 24, 1990. Shortly thereafter, the Russian government declared a moratorium on such tests, and in 1996 Moscow and Washington signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
However, neither country has ratified this document. In recent months, tensions over nuclear weapons between Russia and the US have intensified.
On October 26, 2025, Vladimir Putin announced the successful testing of the "Burevestnik" cruise missile and the "Poseidon" unmanned underwater vehicle. Both systems are equipped with nuclear power units.
US President Donald Trump, in response to this process, announced that America is also preparing to conduct nuclear weapons tests. International experts view this situation as the beginning of a new "cold war."
