Putin orders preparations for nuclear weapons test

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered preparations for a potential nuclear weapons test following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to resume similar testing.

Analysts warn the move could heighten global instability and trigger renewed nuclear tensions, reports Reuters.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said the Novaya Zemlya base in the Arctic is capable of conducting such tests at short notice.

Russia has not carried out a nuclear explosion test since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. North Korea remains the only country to have conducted such tests in the 21st century.