On Thursday, the Kremlin dismissed allegations that Russia had restarted its nuclear testing program following U.S. President Donald Trump’s order for the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992.
President Vladimir Putin revealed on Sunday that successful tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile had been conducted earlier in October, and on Wednesday, he announced the testing of the Poseidon underwater drone.
In response to what he described as “other countries’ testing programs,” Trump stated on Thursday that he had directed the military to initiate nuclear weapons tests in the U.S. “on an equal basis.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the press that Russia had no knowledge of any country currently engaged in nuclear tests and asserted that Moscow’s recent trials of advanced strategic weapons “cannot be interpreted as a nuclear test in any way.”
“If the Burevestnik tests are being referenced, it should be noted that this is not a nuclear test,” Peskov clarified.
He further indicated that Russia would take action if the United States were to abandon the 1992 moratorium on nuclear testing established by then-President George H.W. Bush.
“If anyone breaks the moratorium, Russia will respond accordingly,” Peskov warned, highlighting Putin’s consistent cautions on the subject.
Although both Burevestnik and Poseidon are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the recent announcements, which followed Trump’s cancellation of a second summit with Putin and the imposition of significant oil sanctions, did not clarify whether the tests involved nuclear explosions.
Since its formation, post-Soviet Russia has not conducted any nuclear explosive tests, with the last test by the Soviet Union occurring in 1990.
In 1996, both the United States and Russia signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a significant pact aimed at completely prohibiting nuclear testing.
Moscow ratified the treaty in 2000; however, Washington never finalized its ratification into law, and in 2023, Putin rescinded this ratification. At that time, the Kremlin denied any intentions to conduct nuclear tests if it proceeded with de-ratification.
