Overview
- At a Security Council meeting, Vladimir Putin tasked ministries and security services with gathering information and drafting proposals for preparations to resume atomic tests, saying Russia would reciprocate if another nuclear power tests.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the step is a review of feasibility rather than a start order, while Defense Minister Andrei Beloussow urged immediate preparations and cited Novaya Zemlya as ready to host tests on short notice.
- President Donald Trump told the Pentagon to begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons "immediately," though it remains unclear if this means explosive tests; Energy Secretary Chris Wright said only non‑critical system trials are planned, according to reports.
- Arms-control experts warned the announcements could rekindle a nuclear arms race and noted the United States would face years of work and major costs to restore degraded Nevada test infrastructure.
- Russia also launched the Khabarovsk submarine designed to carry nuclear‑powered Poseidon torpedoes, as Putin touted an October 28 Poseidon propulsion activation test that has not been independently confirmed.