The Russian navy’s commander in chief, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, said the country’s naval nuclear forces have been “completely upgraded,” according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Tass reported Thursday that Moiseyev made the announcement at the 14th International Forum Arctic: Today and the Future, held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The forum, which runs through Friday, includes several working sessions, panels, and roundtables covering topics pertaining to the country’s Arctic agenda such as telecommunications, environmental issues, indigenous communities, investment, technology, fisheries, and naval capabilities. According to the forum’s website, approximately 2,000 people attend.
At the first plenary session of the forum Thursday morning, Moiseyev participated alongside other top Russian leaders.
During the session, the admiral said: “Russia’s strategic naval nuclear forces have been completely upgraded. This remains a critical priority for our country. Nuclear forces have been and will continue to serve as a security guarantee for our nation at the international level,” as reported by Tass.
A 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) estimates Russia has the world’s largest inventory of nuclear warheads, with 5,580 nuclear warheads. It reports that the U.S. has 5,044 and China has 500, whereas the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says Russia and the U.S. possess 4,380 and 3,708, respectively. The U.S. government previously revealed in September 2023 that it had 3,748 nuclear warheads at the time.
Outside of the U.S., Russia, China, and North Korea, five other countries possess nuclear weapons: India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France and Israel.
Moiseyev noted that the strength of the forces should “enhance the sense of responsibility among all countries in the Arctic, primarily those who seek to escalate tensions in the region.”
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the country has repeatedly levied nuclear threats. The U.S. is a close ally of Ukraine and has condemned the invasion, believing it’s an attack on Ukrainian sovereignty and has provided billions in military aid to Kiev.
Finland and Russia share an over 800 mile long border. The country joined NATO in April 2024, a year after Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Russia stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, marking the first deployment of its nuclear arsenal outside Russian territory since the Cold War.
The stationing of these tactical weapons in Belarus, which shares a 673-mile border with Ukraine, enables Russian aircraft and missiles to target potential sites more efficiently. It also significantly extends Russia’s ability to reach several NATO allies in Eastern and Central Europe.
