Putin orders proposals on possible Russian nuclear test
(VOVWORLD) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his top officials to draft proposals for a possible test of nuclear weapons, something Moscow has not done since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
 Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council in Moscow, Russia, November 5, 2025. (Photo: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS) |
Defence Minister Andrei Belousov told Putin that recent remarks and actions by the United States meant that it was "advisable to prepare for full-scale nuclear tests" immediately.
No country apart from North Korea - most recently in 2017 - has carried out explosive tests of nuclear weapons in the 21st century. Security analysts say a resumption of testing would be destabilising at a time of acute geopolitical tension.
If any one country carries out such a test, analysts say the others are likely to follow suit.
US President Donald Trump said in a surprise announcement last week that because of other countries testing programs, he has instructed the Department of War to start testing nuclear weapons on an equal basis and that process will begin immediately.