President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed off on a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a move he says is designed to bring Moscow into line with the United States.
Russia says that it will not resume testing unless Washington does and that its de-ratification does not change its nuclear posture or the way it shares information about its nuclear activities.
Washington had signed but never ratified the 1996 treaty and Putin had said he wanted Russia, which had signed and ratified the pact, to adopt the same stance on the treaty as the United States.
Although Russian authorities have played down the concept, some Western weapons control specialists are worried that Russia may be creeping closer to a test intended to frighten and incite panic amid the conflict in Ukraine.
In response to proposals from certain Russian security experts and MPs to test a nuclear weapon as a message to the West, Putin stated on October 5 that he was not ready to announce whether or not Russia should resume nuclear testing.
Western analysts believe that if such a move were to occur, it may trigger a new phase of large-scale nuclear testing by major powers.
On a government website, Putin’s acceptance of the de-ratification bill was announced, along with the statement that it became effective right away.
The move has already received approval from the Russian parliament’s two houses.
The Post-Soviet Russia has not carried out any nuclear tests. The last time the Soviet Union tested was in the year 1990, while the United States last tested in 1992.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
Follow us on:
