Putin Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile Amid Dispute Over NATO Phone Call

Ellie Cook | Newsweek

Russia said it has test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a nuclear-powered submarine, shortly after a rare phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and two NATO leaders exposed a rift in European political unity. A Bulava missile was fired from Russia's Generalissimo Suvorov ballistic missile submarine deployed in the Sea of Okhotsk, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, Moscow's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

North Korea fires missile barrage toward the sea as tensions with South rise

 Hyung-Jin Kim | AP

North Korea launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thursday, South Korea’s military said, days after the North threatened to resume front-line propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and deploy new weapons along the rivals’ tense border. The launches also followed leader Kim Jong Un’s surprise weekend visit to China, the North’s main ally and economic lifeline, to push for greater cooperation. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected about 10 short-range ballistic missiles fired from North Korea’s eastern coastal town of Wonsan and that they each flew about 250 kilometers.

Iran hasn’t tried to repair nuclear facilities damaged in US strikes: UN nuclear chief

Edith Lederer | The Hill/AP

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said Tuesday there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in U.S. and Israeli military strikes this year or last year. …  During a U.N. Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi urged Iran to give inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in the military attacks. The IAEA has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the U.S. bombed its sites last year.

Russia's Rosatom says it is in advanced talks to supply floating nuclear power plants to African countries

Reuters | October 28, 2026

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom could supply floating nuclear power plants to coastal African countries and is in advanced discussions with at least four nations, senior company ​executives said on Wednesday at a Russia-Africa Summit. Vladimir Aptekarev, deputy head of Rosatom's ‌machine-building division, said that 38 of Africa's more than 50 countries have sufficient coastline to host a Russian-made floating power unit. At present, only one floating nuclear power plant is in operation globally, in Russia's remote ​Chukotka region, dating from 2020.

All-clear at South Carolina lab after fire on site where nuclear bomb materials were made

AP/WRAL News | October 28, 2026

A national lab in South Carolina gave the all-clear after a fire at a site that once made key parts for nuclear bombs triggered an emergency response that shut down incoming traffic and restricted air and rail service in the area. According to the Savannah River Site, a national lab along the South Carolina and Georgia border, it has ended an operational emergency and scheduled delays at the facility, which were put in place because of the fire. The fire broke out at the Savannah River National Laboratory on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site.

Satellite Imagery Analysis: North Korea’s Development of Nuclear-Powered Submarines and Russian Assistance

Yuki Kobayashi | Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Should North Korea succeed in deploying nuclear-powered submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the implications for the security environment in Northeast Asia would be profound. As a result, careful analysis of the country’s submarine development efforts has become increasingly important. This paper examines the status of North Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program, its light-water reactor, and uranium enrichment facilities through satellite imagery and other open-source evidence, while incorporating expert assessments to evaluate the program’s progress and strategic significance.