Russia modernizes five key nuclear bases while new intelligence leak exposes what US satellites never captured.

As reported by Business Insider on July 14, 2025, Russia has undertaken a large-scale expansion and reconstruction of five nuclear weapons-related sites: Asipovichy in Belarus, Gadzhiyevo and Kaliningrad in European Russia, Kamchatka in the Far East, and the Severny support base on Novaya Zemlya. Recent high-resolution satellite imagery shows extensive structural modifications at each site, including new perimeter defenses, hardened bunkers, logistical platforms, storage facilities, and infrastructure possibly linked to missile handling and warhead storage.
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After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia inherited approximately 35,000 nuclear weapons from the Soviet arsenal, resulting in the world’s largest nuclear stockpile. Even after significant reductions over the following decades, Russia still maintains an estimated 4,300 warheads today. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Simultaneously, more than two million procurement documents and detailed blueprints from Russian military tenders have been retrieved and analyzed by Danwatch and Der Spiegel. These files contain structural layouts of sensitive military sites, specifications of materials used in base construction, descriptions of internal components, and documentation of commercial products employed across multiple installations. The five sites represent key components of Russia’s nuclear force structure and are central to the ongoing adaptation of its strategic and tactical nuclear posture.

At Asipovichy, Belarus, long suspected of being prepared for the forward deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, satellite imagery confirmed the addition of multiple high-security features at the 1,405th Ammunition Base, such as triple fencing, a covered southern entrance for concealed vehicle inspections, and a large antenna for command and control. As of May 21, 2025, new buildings had been constructed in the northern sector of the base, which is of primary interest to nuclear analysts. Observers also identified a rail-accessible platform designed for offloading nuclear warheads, which are likely to be delivered from Russian central storage sites rather than stored on-site in peacetime. Just outside Asipovichy, an adjacent base was found to house Iskander-M launchers and garages built around late 2022. Tire tracks indicate the facilities are active. Satellite images from June 15, 2025, show additional support buildings under construction, consistent with other nuclear-related missile deployment sites. According to analysts, should Russia deploy tactical warheads to Belarus, the warheads for the Sukhoï Su-25 jet or 9K720 Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems, both operated by Belarus and earmarked by the Kremlin as possible nuclear delivery platforms, would likely be stored centrally and transferred to the Asipovichy base as needed. The speed and scale of construction, including tire tracks confirming active use of garages and platforms, point to an operational readiness level previously unseen in Belarus.

In Russia’s Arctic region, the Gadzhiyevo naval base in Murmansk supports the Northern Fleet’s ballistic missile submarines and functions as one of the main storage and loading hubs for strategic nuclear weapons. Satellite imagery confirms the existence of a hardened warhead storage bunker carved into a mountain, along with loading infrastructure for intercontinental ballistic missiles. A 2020 image showed a nuclear warhead suspended by crane, adjacent to a climate-controlled container and bunker entrances. As of May 28, 2025, six new buildings had been erected around the handling area. Analysts interpret these as missile storage garages or workshops associated with the loading facility. These developments follow a 2022 announcement by state media that the base would receive new infrastructure for underwater weapons maintenance. The Gadzhiyevo base is used for deploying Project 667BDRM and Borei-class submarines, which respectively carry R-29RMU2 Sineva and RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missiles, forming a critical part of the sea-based deterrent under Russia’s strategic triad.

In Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea bordering Poland and Lithuania, satellite analysis of facilities revealed significant changes between 2018 and 2025. The suspected nuclear weapons storage site is now surrounded by multiple concentric fences and guarded entrances, consistent with the architectural blueprint of other nuclear depots under the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. For instance, a small gray-roofed building, which appeared between June 2022 and June 2025, is similar in size and design to another facility constructed at Asipovichy. The Kaliningrad facility also underwent bunker refurbishment in 2022, when one of the underground storage structures was excavated and rebuilt before being reburied. Three miles southwest of the Kaliningrad bunker, a long-established nuclear custodians’ base, with a visible public sign indicating its purpose, supports assessments that nuclear storage operations occur nearby. Analysts remain cautious regarding the site’s exact inventory, but consider that this site may store tactical warheads for systems like the Iskander-M and nuclear-capable cruise missiles, a concern reinforced by the presence of Iskander-M systems in Kaliningrad and recent suspicions of enhanced operational readiness near NATO territory.

On the Pacific front, the Kamchatka base, located near Vilyuchinsk across the Bering Sea from Alaska and part of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, is reportedly being developed to host the new 2M39 Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater torpedo, a strategic weapon designed to detonate offshore and create radioactive tidal waves. Satellite images from October 2022 and June 2025 confirm the construction of two new buildings near existing missile depots. One of these buildings features rows of internal compartments consistent with warhead storage bays. The second structure, T-shaped and surrounded by triple-layer fencing, aligns with standard Russian nuclear security architecture. Additional construction was underway as of mid-2025. Experts from the Middlebury Institute indicated that these could be used for ballistic missile maintenance. The Poseidon, although not yet fully operational, combined with the Kamchatka base’s strategic location, would further enable potential targeting of U.S. coastal infrastructure or naval bases using long-range underwater systems, consistent with Russia’s stated objectives for second-strike capabilities and strategic deterrence in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, while circumventing existing missile defense systems.

Farther north, the Severny support base on Novaya Zemlya, Russia’s primary Cold War nuclear testing ground, has seen notable expansion since 2021, with a new tunnel and associated facilities. Historically used for subcritical testing and, in 1961, the infamous Tsar Bomba test, the island remains under military control. A satellite image from August 2023 showed new construction at the southern end of the base. By June 2025, a second tunnel entrance had been built near the 2004 tunnel, alongside four new buildings. Analysts suggest the site is being prepared for increased test-related activity. The area was also used for the 2022 test of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, known in NATO as Skyfall. Although no full-scale nuclear detonation has occurred in decades, analysts assert that the Kremlin has preserved Novaya Zemlya as a site ready to resume testing if international conditions change. New tunnel construction and active logistical upgrades suggest that Russia is conducting or preparing to conduct more sophisticated low-yield or non-yield experiments, which would allow verification of warhead designs without breaching existing test bans.

Beyond these bases, the most striking development comes from an unprecedented leak of over two million Russian military procurement documents obtained by investigative outlets Danwatch and Der Spiegel, uncovered from Russian government databases. These include technical blueprints of some of Russia’s most secure nuclear facilities, such as security system layouts, underground tunnel routes, room-by-room interior details, and component specifications. Facilities such as the assembly hall for Avangard hypersonic missile preparation are documented in detail, including room labels, material specifications, and equipment inventories. Russian documents further indicate installation of seismic and radiation sensors, reinforced doors and windows, and surveillance systems with infrared motion detectors. Despite a 2020 law to restrict military tenders, sensitive documents continued to appear in open databases as recently as 2024. Experts, including Hans Kristensen and Philip Ingram, have assessed that the information could expose vulnerabilities to adversaries and represents an unprecedented window into Russian nuclear infrastructure. While these experts call the leak a major intelligence breach, it simultaneously provides public confirmation of the vast scale and sophistication of Russia’s nuclear infrastructure upgrades.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has inherited and consolidated a vast nuclear arsenal and infrastructure across its territory. In the early 1990s, approximately 35,000 Soviet warheads were concentrated onto Russian soil after their removal from Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. While Russia’s arsenal has declined significantly in absolute numbers, it remains the largest in the world, with approximately 4,309 active warheads as of 2025. Dozens of Soviet-era bases, including silo fields, closed scientific cities, and regional storage depots, remain operational but have been modernized. Russia’s nuclear forces are organized into a triad: land-based ICBMs operated by the Strategic Rocket Forces, sea-based missiles aboard submarines, and air-launched weapons delivered by long-range bombers. All warheads are under the custody of the 12th Main Directorate, which manages secure depots and transport convoys. Today, strategic nuclear facilities are dispersed from Plesetsk and Irkutsk to Kamchatka and Kaliningrad, reflecting a geographic spread designed to ensure survivability, complicate targeting, and enable global reach. As strategic treaties have eroded and Russia adjusts its doctrine to emphasize nuclear deterrence, modernization of legacy bases and construction of new infrastructure seem to have become central elements of its long-term defense planning.