Man who detonated first nuclear bomb on Novaya Zemlya is honored with name on Arctic peak
With nuclear tensions on the rise, Russia names mountain peak on Novaya Zemlya after a Soviet rear admiral who was instrumental in developing the nuclear test site in the 1950s.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree, according to which a mountain top in the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya will be named after Pyotr Fomin.
The 1241-metre-high peak did not have a name until explorer and colonel Sergei Churkin in 2024 came up with the proposal to name it after the rear admiral. The legislative assembly in Arkhangelsk subsequently organised a poll, which reportedly showed public support for the proposal.
The mountain is located about 30 km southwest of Severny, a secretive military settlement in the Matochin Strait.
Pyotr Fomin had participated in the building of the Soviet Union's first nuclear submarine, the Leninsky Komsomol, before he was commissioned to lead the development of the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya.
He was the first head of the Soviet 6th Naval Command, a body responsible for developing new types of nuclear weapons.
In 1954, the Novaya Zemlya test site was officially opened and Fomin had the responsibility to prepare and organise the testing. It ultimately had catastrophic consequences for the arctic archipelago.
As many as 224 nuclear detonations were made in Novaya Zemlya in the period between 1955 and 1990. The detonations had a total explosive energy equivalent to 265 megatons of TNT.
Among the detonations was the 'Tsar Bomba,' a 50 megawatt explosion that could be seen many hundred kilometres away.
According to Andrei Sakharov, the nuclear physicist that turned human rights activist, Petr Fomin was shocked by the force of the explosions.
Fomin reportedly told Sakharov that "sailors are used to fighting an armed enemy in open battle" and that for him "the very idea of such a massacre is disgusting."
Nevertheless, the rear admiral is praised for his efforts by leaders of today's militant and aggressive Russia.
"He is truly a significant figure for our country and region. Pyotr Fomin has made a significant contribution to strengthening the defence capabilities of our homeland," regional legislator from Arkhangelsk Aleksandr Frolov said.
The Soviet Union conducted several atmospheric nuclear tests, and also tested nuclear torpedoes , in Novaya Zemlya. However, the Mount Pyotr Fomin is located in an area where only underground detonations were made.
The last nuclear test was held in 1990, but Russia has continued to conduct subcritical nuclear tests at Novaya Zemlya. The archipelago is also home to the test site for the infamous Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile currently under development.
In early November this year, Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov hinted that nuclear testing could be resumed. "It is appropriate to begin immediate preparations for full-scale nuclear tests at Novaya Zemlya," he said in a meeting with dictator Vladimir Putin. The statement came after US President Donald Trump said his country could start tests.
