Vladimir Putin ordered his top officials to prepare plans for restarting nuclear weapons tests. The move followed recent remarks from U.S. leaders suggesting that America might resume its own testing program.
Russian officials mentioned the Arctic’s Novaya Zemlya test site as a possible location for future detonations. They also said Moscow would only proceed if Washington first ended its testing pause.
If either side restarts live detonations, others could follow—raising the risk of a new arms race and eroding global stability.