Russia’s nuclear sites expansion alarms West
Satellite images show significant expansions and modernizations at five Russian nuclear facilities in recent years, including the nuclear arms depot in Kaliningrad, the country’s westernmost semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea, Swedish SVT reported on June 16.
Planet Labs’ images from May 2025 reveal new buildings, a triple fence, and new communication facilities at the Russian base in Kaliningrad, which reportedly houses around 100 tactical nuclear weapons. The base is just 270 kilometers from the Swedish border.
The photos also show a Soviet-era nuclear weapons storage facility being modernized at the Osipovichi base in Belarus. A new cargo platform for rail transport and air defense systems has been installed.
Large new buildings have been constructed at Novaya Zemlya, and experts describe the base as Russia's most important nuclear weapons testing facility.
Around 50 bunkers have been built on the Kola Peninsula to store submarine ballistic missiles, as well as a pier for loading missiles onto submarines.
"We are aware of this and have been following it for a long time. We are talking about Russian investments in nuclear capabilities and the implementation of a new doctrine," commented Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson on the images.
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