Belousov: "Appropriate to begin immediate preparations for full-scale nuclear tests at Novaya Zemlya"
The Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov made it clear that the test site on the Arctic archipelago can be ready at short notice.
Satellite images from August 14 this year show activities at a tunnel complex five and a half kilometres south of Severny, the settlement at Russia's nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya.
What is going on deep inside the tunnels is unclear.
On Wednesday afternoon, November 5, Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with the permanent members of the Security Council.
"I am instructing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, special services, and relevant civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information on this issue, analyze it at the Security Council level, and submit approved proposals for the possible commencement of work on preparing for nuclear weapons tests," the dictator said after listening to input from members of the Security Council.
Among them was Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Secretary of the Council Sergei Shoigu, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.
A transcript from Wednesday's meeting has been posted by the Kremlin.
"The fact that the American side has not provided an official explanation for President Trump's statement regarding the resumption of nuclear testing does not provide grounds to believe that the United States will not begin preparations for, and then conduct, nuclear tests in the near future," Gerasimov said pointing to what U.S. President Donald Trump said last week about U.S. needs to resume nuclear tests.
The U.S. President, however, did not mean full-scale nuclear tests, his Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified later.
At the meeting in the Kremlin, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said:
"I believe it is advisable to begin preparations for full-scale nuclear testing immediately. The readiness of the forces and assets at the Central Test Site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago makes it possible for this to be carried out within a short timeframe."
The last real nuclear bomb test at Novaya Zemlya took place on October 24, 1990.
More than 220 nuclear tests have been carried out at the Arctic archipelago since 1955, including the 50-megaton Tsar Bomba that was detonated on October 30, 1961.
Since the ban on atmospheric detonations was agreed, all nuclear tests after 1963 have taken place underground.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia has conducted numerous 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.
