Russian, Chinese, and U.S. nuclear test facilities are reportedly primed for a restart, with U.S. President Trump demanding resumption within months.
Preliminary Preparations Announced
On 5 November, a meeting of President Vladimir Putin with senior officials of the Russian Security Council announced a decision to begin preliminary preparations for future nuclear testing. The directive did not mandate immediate trials; Putin only instructed relevant bodies to “prepare proposals for potential launch of nuclear test preparations.”
Historical Context and Current Readiness
The Russian test site on the island of New Earth, located south of the Arctic Circle, hosted its last full‑scale test in 1990. Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Moscow has maintained a unilateral moratorium—though the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was never ratified by any of the signatory states, making the suspension voluntary.
Both the United States and China have continued to maintain and modernise their own test facilities—Los Alamos in the U.S. and Lop‑Nor in China—keeping the infrastructure intact for rapid resumption.
Infrastructure Status in Russia, China and the U.S.
Satellite imagery shows that the Russian “Zone B” complex on New Earth remains largely operational: buildings with new roofs, vehicles, and aircraft on the runway. Similar activity can be seen at the U.S. test area near the Nevada desert, where tunnel entrances north of the main base are clearly visible, and in China’s Lop‑Nor region, where expanded infrastructure has been documented over several years.
Trump’s Calls and Official Responses
After tweeting that nuclear tests should be “immediately resumed,” President Trump reiterated the demand in a “60 Minutes” interview, accusing several countries—including Russia and China—of conducting covert underground tests. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that the U.S. would pursue only subcritical tests, stressing that the Nevada public need not fear a full‑scale restart.
Public and Political Reactions in Nevada
Nevada residents and state officials have long opposed the nuclear test program, citing environmental and safety concerns. The state’s federal representatives have pursued measures to block underground waste storage and any underground detonations, signalling that a full‑scale revival is unlikely despite presidential rhetoric.