RUSSIA, USA AND CHINA MODERNIZE NUCLEAR TESTING SITES, CNN REPORTS

In recent years, Russia, the USA, and China have constructed new facilities and excavated new tunnels at their nuclear testing sites. This information comes from CNN, citing exclusive satellite imagery and data provided by a well-known military analyst.

According to the channel, while there is no evidence of preparations for nuclear testing, the infrastructure of the three testing sites has changed when compared to images taken before 2018. The testing site in China is located in the remote Xinjiang region, in Russia, it is situated in an archipelago in the Northern Arctic Ocean, while in the USA, it is found in the Nevada desert.

Over the last three to five years, new tunnels, roads, and storage facilities have appeared at the sites. Satellite imagery indicates increased traffic in and out of the testing locations.

CNN reported that analysts last noted expansion at the Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site in February 2022. According to the channel, significant construction has taken place at Novaya Zemlya from 2021 to 2023, as evidenced by satellite images; ships and transportation containers have reached its port, roads have been cleared in winter, and tunnels have been excavated in the Arctic mountains.

The Novaya Zemlya test site was first used by the USSR for nuclear tests in 1955, with the last underground explosion occurring there in 1990. A total of 130 tests have been conducted at this site.

The channel reported that in recent years, a new fifth underground tunnel has been excavated at the Chinese test site located over a dry salt lake between two deserts, alongside new roads that have been constructed. A comparison of images from 2022 and 2023 shows that the soil mound on the surface is continuously increasing, leading analysts to speculate that the tunnels are being expanded. Additionally, a new storage facility for explosive materials was built in 2021 and 2022.

The USA conducted its last underground nuclear test in 1992. Satellite images of the Nevada nuclear testing site indicate that the underground establishment, known as the U1a complex, has significantly expanded from 2018 to 2023.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a division of the US Department of Energy that oversees the facility, stated that the laboratory is intended for conducting "subcritical" nuclear tests, a long-established practice designed to ensure the reliability of weapons in the current arsenal without actual tests.

In response to CNN’s request for comments, an NNSA spokesperson also noted that the Nevada testing site is undergoing "infrastructure and scientific capabilities recapitalization" which includes acquiring new advanced technologies for non-test weapons evaluations.