Overview
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Nov. 8 that no explanation had been received through diplomatic channels about the reported instruction.
- Lavrov added that comments by U.S. officials show no unified understanding of whether the directive referred to a non-yield subcritical experiment or a resumption of explosive testing.
- Following the reports, President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 5 directed the defense and foreign ministries to compile proposals on preparing for possible nuclear-test activities.
- A Seoul-based NGO, the Asia-Pacific Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament Leadership Network, condemned the reported order as a dangerous deviation from anti-testing norms and urged U.S. allies not to support, enable, or tolerate any attempt to test.
- The NGO cited long-term health harms to Pacific island communities and survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and there has been no public confirmation that any nuclear test has occurred.