Analysts from the Open Laboratory for Emergency Response Strategies (ROLES) at the University of Tokyo have published a report claiming that construction work is underway at Russia's nuclear test site in Novaya Zemlya. This is reported by the Eurasian Times.
According to the Eurasian Times, specialists from the center have been monitoring Russia's activities in the archipelago in the Arctic Ocean for a long time using satellite imagery.
In the summer, ROLES first observed soil being removed from nuclear test tunnels. Later, experts again noticed the movement of soil.
In September 2023, Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten, compared satellite images from 2021 and 2023 in one of its publications, noting the appearance of new buildings and structures in Novaya Zemlya. A year later, the ROLES analytical center reported an alleged ship anchorage in the Matochkin Shar Strait (separates the Northern Island of Novaya Zemlya from the Southern Island and connects the Barents Sea with the Kara Sea). According to their data, this occurred on September 10, 2024. It was also claimed that on September 11, two Il-76 transport aircraft of the State Corporation "Rosatom" were recorded at the airfield in Novaya Zemlya.
At the same time, ROLES emphasizes that they cannot say for sure whether the construction work is related to Russia's nuclear tests. But the "mysterious tunnel" indicates that something very important is being prepared in Novaya Zemlya.
Some analysts believe that the work in Novaya Zemlya is related to the testing of the Russian Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile with a nuclear warhead, which is so feared in the West.
Read more on the topic:
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Ruthless "Burevestnik": what is known about Russia's unlimited-range cruise missile
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