Russia Revives Cold War 'Dead Hand' Nuclear System, Expands Remote Bunker
Facility 1335 in the Ural Mountains is reportedly being upgraded to ensure Russia can launch a retaliatory strike even after a catastrophic attack.
Russia has significantly expanded a remote nuclear command bunker, Facility 1335, in the Ural Mountains, a move experts suggest indicates a revival of the Soviet Union's Cold War-era "Dead Hand" or "Perimeter" nuclear strategy. This system is designed to ensure a retaliatory nuclear strike can be launched even if Russia's leadership and command infrastructure are destroyed.
The vast underground complex, located near the village of Kytlym, has undergone extensive construction since 2011, with reports detailing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment. Satellite images and construction documents reveal the project's scale, including new tunnels and numerous underground chambers designed to withstand advanced American bunker-busting bombs.
Facility 1335 is part of Russia's "Perimeter" system, which fell dormant after the Cold War. The renewed investment suggests the Kremlin is prioritizing the survivability of its nuclear command and control capabilities amid heightened geopolitical tensions. The facility would transmit signals to surviving missile launchers and silos to initiate a counterattack if communications with leadership were severed.
According to open-source information and construction documents, the bunker project has utilized approximately 20,000 tons of steel and 150,000 square meters of concrete. Soldiers now guard the heavily fortified site, which includes a machine gun turret at its entrance. Images emerging from the site show tunnels described as four meters wide and ten meters high, matching schematics found in investigation documents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin alluded to the revival of such systems in a 2020 meeting with military advisors, stating that the creation of a secure facility for controlling strategic nuclear forces was nearing completion with a high safety margin. Procurement documents from 2020 and 2021 show extensive orders for cables, lamps, transformers, ventilation units, and drilling tools for the site.
Retired Major General VG Khalin, formerly of Russia's main intelligence directorate, indicated in 2022 that the "Perimeter" system's automation was planned for experimental combat duty at Facility 1335. Colonel Yu Andreev stated in the same publication that the facility was placed on combat duty in 2023.
The expansion of Facility 1335 coincides with a broader modernization of Russia's nuclear forces and follows increased nuclear threats from Moscow, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This development occurs as the United States also upgrades its own hardened command centers, such as the Cheyenne Mountain complex and Raven Rock Mountain complex.