The total area of the test site is about 2,400 square kilometers. The first test in this region took place on October 16, 1964, with an explosion yield of 22 kilotons, and on June 17, 1967, the first hydrogen bomb was tested here. Before the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was signed in 1996, 45 tests were conducted at the site, including 23 atmospheric and 22 underground tests.
On November 5, Vladimir Putin instructed the Security Council to consider the possibility of Russia conducting its own nuclear tests in response to statements from the United States.
The U.S., Russia, and China continue to modernize their nuclear test sites. Experts note that infrastructure upgrades do not necessarily indicate an intention to violate the moratorium on nuclear testing that has been in place since the late 1990s.
The last nuclear test conducted by the USSR took place in 1990, and Russia has not conducted any tests since then. The U.S. completed its tests in 1992, and China in 1996. All three countries adhere to the moratorium, although the U.S. and China signed but did not ratify the CTBT.
