Russia begins nuclear-capable missile tests at Kura range, officials say
Russia closed Kura nuclear test range ahead of Moscow parade (photo: Russian media)
Ahead of the parade in Moscow, Russia closed the Kura test range in Kamchatka to people and equipment — missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads have landed there dozens of times, the Kamchatka regional branch of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.
Russia's Ministry of Defense warned about tests at the Kura test range in the Ust-Kamchatsky district from May 6 to May 10 inclusive. During this time, the presence of people and the movement of any equipment in the area of the range are prohibited.
Where the range is located
The Kura test range is a military testing site of Russia's Space Forces in Kamchatka, in eastern Russia. It is located in a swampy area on the Ozyornaya River, 500 km north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Location of the test range (photo: Google Maps)
The facility was established in the early 1950s. The first missile — a prototype of the R-7 — was launched there in 1956. During Soviet times, more than 300 tests were conducted at the range. After the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, launches resumed only in the early 2000s.
What missiles were launched there
- Bulava — a sea-based solid-fuel ballistic missile. It first struck Kura in 2005 and was adopted for service in May 2024. It is carried by seven nuclear submarines of the Northern and Pacific Fleets — 16 missiles on each.
- Sarmat — a heavy intercontinental missile, the successor to the R-36. The first launch took place on April 20, 2022, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, and the training warheads reached Kura.
- Yars — a ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile. It was launched from Plesetsk during large-scale exercises in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
- Sineva — a sea-based ballistic missile. It was launched from the Barents Sea by nuclear submarine cruisers during the same exercises.
- Kalibr — a cruise missile. In April 2025, the submarine cruiser Krasnoyarsk struck a target at Kura with it from a distance of more than 1,100 km.
Most notable tests
Since the start of the full-scale invasion and in the days before it, Russia conducted several tests at this range.
- February 19, 2022 — strategic forces exercise: Yars and Sineva were launched at Kura, and Tu-95MS strategic bombers practiced cruise missile launches.
- October 26, 2022 — simulation of a massive nuclear strike in response to an enemy attack.
- October 25, 2023 — another launches of Yars and Sineva.
- October 29, 2024 — launch of Yars during exercises of strategic deterrence forces.
Recently, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin again threatened the West and ordered preparations for large-scale nuclear tests. He called it appropriate under the current conditions.
North Korea also regularly tests unknown missiles. The latest such test took place in April.
