Kremlin Denies Nuclear Testing After Trump Orders U.S. to Resume Tests

Kremlin Denies Nuclear Testing After Trump Orders U.S. to Resume Tests

According to a report by The Moscow Times on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, the Kremlin has dismissed allegations that Russia has resumed nuclear testing following an order by U.S. President Donald Trump directing the Pentagon to restart nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 1992.

Responding to media reports on Thursday, Oct. 30, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was unaware of any nation currently conducting nuclear explosive tests. He emphasized that Russia’s recent trials of advanced strategic weapons systems should not be mistaken for nuclear detonations.

“If somehow the Burevestnik tests are being implied, this is not a nuclear test,” Peskov told journalists during a press briefing. He added that Moscow’s recent defense activities were in full compliance with international norms and that the tests of new-generation systems were focused on improving Russia’s deterrence capabilities rather than breaching nuclear test restrictions.

The controversy emerged after President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed the U.S. military to “begin nuclear weapons testing on an equal basis” with Russia and China. The statement raised questions about the future of the global moratorium on nuclear testing that has been in place for more than three decades.

Earlier in October, President Vladimir Putin had announced successful trials of two key components of Russia’s strategic arsenal the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone, both of which are nuclear-capable systems. However, the Kremlin clarified that these tests did not involve any nuclear explosions.

Peskov warned that Russia would take reciprocal measures if the United States formally withdrew from the 1992 nuclear testing moratorium established under then-President George H.W. Bush. “If someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” he said, citing President Putin’s repeated statements on maintaining strategic balance.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has never conducted a nuclear explosive test, with the last such test occurring in 1990. Both Washington and Moscow signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, a landmark accord aimed at banning all forms of nuclear tests.

While Russia ratified the treaty in 2000, the United States has yet to do so. In 2023, President Putin withdrew Russia’s ratification, citing the need to maintain parity with Washington’s position. Nonetheless, the Kremlin maintained that this move did not signal any intention to resume nuclear testing