At the battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297, the movie Braveheart has William Wallace provoking the English to battle, saying "Here are Scotland's terms. Lower your flags, and march straight back to England, stopping at every home to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. ... Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass."
Putin's Nuclear Crisis - November 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke 04 November 2025 at the awards ceremony for the developers of the Burevestnik and Poseidon missile systems. He emphasized that the development is of historic significance for Russia throughout the 21st century. Putin noted that the Russian Armed Forces did not interfere with the NATO ship's reconnaissance missions in the Burevestnik test zone. In terms of flight range, Burevestnik surpassed all known missile systems in the world.
Russian Security Council analyzed statements made by US ruling circles regarding nuclear testing, Russian President Putin said. Putin reported that a NATO reconnaissance ship was in the Burevestnik test zone on October 21. The Russian Armed Forces did not interfere with the NATO ship's reconnaissance in the test zone, "let it see." The development of the Burevestnik and Poseidon has historical significance for the entire 21st century.
Russia is working on a new generation of nuclear-powered cruise missiles, which will eventually become hypersonic. The head of state drew attention to the powerful Burevestnik ultra-small nuclear reactors. Commissioning takes seconds, while conventional reactors require hours or even days.
"A new generation of weapons is already being developed based on such power plants. Moreover, development has begun on the next generation of nuclear-powered cruise missiles. Their speed will be more than three times the speed of sound, and in the future, they will become hypersonic," the Russian leader said. "We recently discussed this with some of our colleagues in this room," Putin added. Only domestic materials are used in the Burevestnik and Poseidon ; specialists have created a "true treasure trove of new materials." The technologies used in the development will help in the creation of a promising station on the Moon.
The compact size of nuclear installations like the Burevestnik will aid in resource extraction in challenging areas. New operating principles will spur the development of technologies suitable for use on the Arctic shelf. The electronic component base can be used to create supercomputers and communication systems. Putin emphasized that Russia does not threaten anyone, but has announced that it is developing its nuclear potential.
The Sarmat intercontinental heavy missiles will be put into combat testing in 2025, and into combat use in 2026. New generations of weapons are already being developed based on a nuclear power plant, like the Burevestnik. The Russian Federation is fulfilling all its weapons plans thanks to its engineers and workers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on 05 November 2025 instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the intelligence services, and civilian agencies to submit proposals on the possibility of preparing for nuclear weapons tests. On 29 October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, citing the fact that other countries were already doing so. The US President did not specify what tests he was referring to or whether this included detonating nuclear warheads. Russia warned that if other countries conduct nuclear tests, it would be forced to take retaliatory action, he said during a meeting with the Russian Security Council.
"I instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the special services, and the relevant civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information on this matter, analyze it at the Security Council level, and submit coordinated proposals on the possible commencement of work to prepare for nuclear weapons testing," the head of state said. "Let's proceed from there. I await your report," he concluded. "Back in my 2023 address to the Federal Assembly, I stated that if the United States or other states party to the relevant Treaty conduct such tests, Russia will also be required to take appropriate retaliatory measures," the president emphasized.
At a meeting planned to discuss transport security and the results of the government delegation's visit to China, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin requested the right to "speak outside the agenda." He noted US President Donald Trump's statements about plans to resume nuclear weapons testing and noted the deputies' concern about the situation. Putin called this a serious issue and asked Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, and FSB Head Alexander Bortnikov to speak out.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov presented a detailed report on the situation and the modernization of the United States' nuclear weapons. Beloussov, in particular, drew attention to Washington's active buildup of strategic offensive weapons. This implies that Russia must maintain its nuclear potential in readiness and respond appropriately. Given this, the minister called it appropriate to "immediately begin preparations for full-scale nuclear tests." Earlier, the US president stated that he had instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, citing the fact that some other countries were already doing so. Trump did not specify what tests he was referring to, or whether this included detonating nuclear warheads.
According to Belousov, the US is actively increasing its strategic offensive weapons and is consistently withdrawing from strategic stability treaties. Beloussov reported that the US is also working on developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead and a range of 13,000 km.
"Work is underway on the Columbia, a promising strategic nuclear submarine to replace the Ohio. A new B-21 Raider heavy bomber is being developed. A cruise missile with a nuclear warhead is being developed, and so on. The decommissioning of 56 launchers on 14 Ohio-class submarines is planned. I want to emphasize decommissioning. Their full load of Trident II ballistic missiles is being completed. Preparatory work is underway to convert 30 B-52H strategic bombers back into nuclear weapons carriers," Beloussov said.
The US "Golden Dome" program envisions both the interception and pre-launch destruction of Russian and Chinese missiles, the Defense Minister announced. "The Americans have begun implementing the Golden Dome program, which provides for both anti-missile interception and pre-launch destruction of Russian and Chinese missiles," the head of the military department said. He noted that Washington regularly conducts strategic nuclear force exercises.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin proposed discussing US President Donald Trump's statements about plans to resume nuclear testing at a meeting. Putin supported the initiative. "Trump recently literally stated that the United States of America is resuming nuclear weapons testing. Members of parliament are asking questions and are generally concerned about the situation. Because, clearly, this could push the world in general. Therefore, based on what you said two years ago, that if the US resumes nuclear weapons testing, Russia has every right to do the same. Could you please clarify what steps and actions we will take on this issue, which concerns virtually every member of parliament, and these questions are being raised, given that the issue is truly extremely important, especially since the US President has spoken out on it," Volodin said.
Based on an analysis of conflicting statements from American officials, US plans for a possible resumption of nuclear testing are not entirely clear, said Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
Russian diplomats have contacted the American side for clarification regarding Trump's instructions to the Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing, said Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin. FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov asked Putin for time to prepare proposals in connection with Trump's announced nuclear tests.
Belousov called it expedient to immediately begin preparations for full-scale nuclear tests. Russia must maintain its nuclear potential and respond appropriately to Washington's moves, he added. Preparing for nuclear tests requires several months to several years, stated Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. An analysis of statements by high-ranking US officials indicates that Washington is committed to preparing and conducting nuclear tests, he noted.
Putin instructed the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, intelligence agencies, and civilian agencies to submit proposals on the possibility of preparing for nuclear weapons tests. He noted that Russia had warned that it would take retaliatory action if other countries conducted nuclear tests. Russia has always strictly adhered to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and will continue to do so until another country conducts such tests, the president emphasized.
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