Ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia has announced missile tests at the Kura test site in the Ust-Kamchatka region, involving systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
According to the report by the Kamchatka Krai Ministry of Emergency Situations, the tests will take place from May 6 to May 10. Authorities warned that access to the area is strictly prohibited, including for both civilians and equipment.
The Kura test site, located about 500 kilometers north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, is a key range used by Russia’s Aerospace Forces to test intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and conduct training strikes, according to the Militarnyi defense news outlet.
Established in the early 1950s, the site hosted its first ICBM tests in 1956 using the R-7 prototype. During the Soviet era, more than 300 launches were conducted there.
Testing resumed in the early 2000s after a post-Soviet pause, including submarine-based missile launches.
In recent years, Kura has been used to test modern nuclear-capable systems, including the Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile, which was officially adopted into service in May 2024.
The site has also supported space-related testing, including the Angara rocket program, with test launches from Plesetsk landing in Kamchatka.
Kura remains central to Russia’s strategic deterrence exercises. Notably, just days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia conducted drills involving launches of Yars and Sineva nuclear-capable missiles targeting the range.
Similar large-scale exercises have continued annually, most recently in October 2024.
In early November 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered government and security agencies to prepare proposals for possible nuclear weapons tests – the first such step since 1990.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting in the Kremlin, Putin instructed the foreign ministry, defense ministry, intelligence services, and other agencies to gather information and submit plans on “a possible start of work to prepare for nuclear weapons testing.”
The move came after comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting that the United States might resume nuclear testing, though he did not clarify whether this would include underground detonations halted in 1992.
Russian officials said diplomats had sought clarification from Washington but received no clear response. Defense Minister Andrey Belousov proposed preparing test infrastructure in the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, Russia’s main nuclear test site, saying it could be ready on short notice.
Putin stressed that Russia still complies with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty but warned Moscow would respond if other countries resume testing.
The announcement followed claims by Putin that Russia had completed tests of new nuclear-powered systems, including the Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater drone.