Russia's Secret Nuclear Changes Revealed In ‘Huge' Security Breach
The German publication Der Spiegel and Danish investigative group Danwatch, said the secret files showed architectural plans, internal layouts, and procurement records for new military installations and the outlets published satellite imagery they say backs up their claims.
The investigation did not clarify to what extent the inner workings of the constructions are as specified by the blueprints.
Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) told Newsweek the documents cited by the outlets appear to be construction blueprints.
Tom Røseth, a Norwegian military expert who saw some of the documents, told Newsweek their revelations represented "a huge breach of security" for Russia.
Newsweek has not independently confirmed the investigation's claims and has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in 2018 the development of new nuclear weapons systems he said would put his country ahead in the arms race with the West.
An investigation that says Russia was also conducting a large-scale modernization of the Russian nuclear weapons complex, which Putin did not mention, will add to concerns about the threat Moscow poses.
This is salient given the boasts by the Kremlin and its propagandists of Russia's atomic arms capabilities since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The investigation released on Wednesday and reported by Ukrainian outlets and BBC Russian, says Danwatch journalists had obtained more than two million documents concerning Russian military contracts, which were analyzed in collaboration with Der Spiegel.
Although Russia tightened laws in 2020 restricting military records, the investigators said they bypassed these measures in 2024 to find blueprints revealing the layout of military sites with strategic nuclear weapons.
The documents are said to reveal the modernization program, including renewing old Soviet-era bases and building other facilities from scratch.
Images showed new barracks, guard towers, command centers, and storage buildings as well as underground tunnels, the journalists said.
They also revealed internal layout of facilities where protective equipment is stored, locations of weapon cabinets and control rooms, and which buildings are connected by underground tunnels, the publications said.
Journalists said the documents included blueprints of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces sites in the city of Yasny in the Orenburg region and detailed floor plans for facilities of the 621st and 368th missile regiments.
The Yasny site is one of 11 locations from which missiles with nuclear warheads can be launched.
The town hosts Russia's Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, according to the journalists. Experts estimate Russia has about 900 strategic nuclear warheads in underground silos.
Kristensen, from the FAS, told Newsweek the documents appear to be construction blueprints which open a second layer to open-source intelligence and allow experts to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the images.
Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College, said that while there was a small possibility it could be a disinformation campaign from Russia but the breach "appears to me very credible and the immense scope of it is impressive."
"It reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the system," he told Newsweek Thursday, "and also details of the compounds and the nuclear silos."
Danwatch and Der Spiegel said they had "gained access to hundreds of highly detailed blueprints showing how Russia is carrying out an enormous modernization of some of the world's most sensitive nuclear weapons facilities."
Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to Newsweek: "The documents open a second layer to open-source intelligence by allowing us to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the blueprints."
Tom Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College to Newsweek: "It's nothing new that you have weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the Russian information system that you can access … But these specific details of nuclear sites are of far more importance."
The documents show the extent of Russia's modernization of its strategic nuclear weapons forces is real and will add resonance to any future nuclear threats that Moscow makes.
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