Russia Modernising Secret Nuclear Bunker in Ural Mountains, Probe Finds
An investigation has uncovered details of a Cold War-era Russian nuclear command bunker being modernised deep inside a Ural mountain.
Russia has been quietly upgrading a secret Cold War-era nuclear command facility buried deep inside a mountain in the Ural region, an investigation has found. The site, known as Facility 1335, sits inside Kosvinsky Kamen, roughly 800 miles east of Moscow.
The investigation includes what are described as the first images from inside the bunker, along with procurement records pointing to extensive construction and modernisation work since 2018.
Deep under granite
Kosvinsky Kamen is covered by more than 1,000 feet of solid granite, a layer that offers significant protection against conventional penetrating weapons, including bunker-busting bombs.
Inside, Facility 1335 is said to hold at least 24 underground rooms. Tunnels running about 1.5 miles from the entrances form part of the wider complex.
Scale of construction
Contracts linked to the facility and dated between 2018 and 2024 indicate a large-scale building effort. They cover 24,000 tons of steel, more than 62,000 tons of cement, around 372 miles of electrical cable, 21 electrical substations, 160 ventilation units, 95 pieces of heavy machinery and 648 drilling tools.
Some of the ventilation equipment was designed to guard against radioactive dust. The bunker has also received new blast-resistant equipment and communications systems.
Tied to nuclear forces
Tom Roseth, an expert in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Staff College, said the work appears linked to the broader modernisation of Russia's nuclear forces.
"The expansion of Facility 1335 follows a major upgrade of Russia's nuclear forces, which has been given high priority within the Russian armed forces," he said.
He also connected the reported activity to shifting relations between Russia and Western countries, noting that the Perimeter system would "once again be given priority" in a more tense geopolitical setting in which Russia sees itself in conflict with the West.
The site is associated with Russia's Perimeter nuclear command system, known in the West as "Dead Hand". Developed during the Cold War, the system was intended to keep Russia's nuclear forces operational even if the country's leadership and conventional command structures were destroyed in a nuclear conflict.