According to satellite imagery published by Swedish broadcaster SVT, Russia is significantly upgrading its nuclear weapons facilities near Sweden, including a base less than 300 kilometres from the country’s border, sparking concerns over preparedness for any future conflict.
”We are closely monitoring Russian capabilities in this area”, Jonson said on Monday. ”It is about both Russian investments in nuclear weapons capability and the development of a new doctrine.”
Over recent years, at least five Russian nuclear bases in the region have undergone development, including upgrades to the Asipovitjy base in Belarus which now features enhanced storage and new transport platforms. Meanwhile, in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad a base has reportedly been fitted with advanced fencing and communication systems and now houses around 100 tactical nuclear weapons.
There has also been significant activity at Novaja Zemlja, a key Arctic testing site, and on the Kola peninsula where new bunkers for submarine-based missiles have been located.
Russia revised its nuclear doctrine in November 2024, lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and allowing for a response to any ”critical threat” to Russia or Belarus, including conventional attacks backed by nuclear-armed states such as the US. Läs artikel