Russia May Be Planning to Test a Nuclear-Powered Missile
Riley Mellen | The New York Times
Satellite imagery and aviation data suggest that Russia may be preparing to test an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile — or may have recently tested one — with a theoretical range of thousands of miles. Movements of aircraft and vehicles at and near a base in Russia’s remote Arctic region are consistent with preparations that were made for tests of the missile, known as the Burevestnik or SSC-X-9 Skyfall, in 2017 and 2018, according to a New York Times analysis.
Seoul Shoots Down North Korea’s Claim That it is a ‘Responsible Nuclear State’
Jeongmin Kim | NK News
South Korea’s foreign ministry stressed that the international community will “never” recognize North Korea as a nuclear power on Monday, after a top DPRK official accused the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) of denying the country’s “constitutional position” as a nuclear weapon state. The ministry also criticized Pyongyang for “shifting the blame outward” and “perpetuating false and distorted claims” to justify its weapons development despite clear international prohibitions on its nuclear program. “North Korea continues its nuclear and missile development, thereby destroying the livelihoods of its residents and posing a threat to the peace and stability of the international community, including the Korean Peninsula,” the ROK foreign ministry told NK News in a written statement on Monday, warning that sanctions on the DPRK will “intensify.”
Kremlin Says Russia has Not Abandoned Moratorium on Nuclear Testing
Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia had not abandoned a moratorium on nuclear testing, and dismissed a suggestion by the editor of a state television channel that Moscow should detonate a thermonuclear device in Siberia as a warning to the West.…The Kremlin said it had not abandoned the moratorium when asked about remarks by Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of state-funded broadcaster RT, who suggested that Russia should detonate a nuclear bomb over Siberia.
BAE Systems Wins £3.95bn Contract for Aukus Nuclear Submarines
Sylvia Pfeifer and Lucy Fisher | Financial TImes
BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest defence contractor, has won a £3.95bn contract to build a new generation of attack submarines as the UK moves ahead with the trilateral Aukus security pact. The US, Australia and Britain in March unveiled details of the Aukus plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. BAE said the funding would cover development work until 2028, allowing it to start the detailed design phase of the programme and start to buy long-lead items.
Rolls-Royce Among Six Firms Shortlisted for British Small Nuclear Plants
Reuters
Rolls-Royce (RR.L) and five other firms have passed the first stage of Britain's competition to select developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), the government said on Monday. Britain is seeking increase its nuclear power capacity to 24 gigawatts (GW) by 2050 as part of efforts to meet climate targets and boost energy security, representing about a quarter of projected electricity demand versus about 14% today.
Putin’s “Bluff”: a Cautionary Note About Underestimating the Possibility of Nuclear Escalation in Ukraine
Stephen J. Cimbala and, Lawrence J. Korb | The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Snyder dismisses too abruptly the possibility of Russian escalation to nuclear weapons use…We have three major concerns about this optimism in regard to nuclear risk—concerns that should be loudly raised by policy makers, analysts, and media commentators. First, the United States and NATO cannot and should not assume that Russian reasoning about nuclear deterrence and escalation will follow a logic similar to that of their Western counterparts.Second, escalation need not be the outcome of deliberate forethought: Inadvertent escalation could lead to a crossing of the nuclear threshold under circumstances that were not planned for or foreseen. And third, no one should underestimate what Ukraine and NATO have already accomplished in this war, both in terms of strategy and in policy—significant accomplishments won without provoking nuclear escalation.