Russia conducting nuclear drill near Cold War-era ‘Doomsday’ bunker recently upgraded with 24,000 tons of steel and 62,000 tons of cement

Russia is conducting a major nuclear disaster drill near a top-secret Cold War-era bunker reportedly linked to its “Dead Hand” nuclear command system, according to a report by The Sun. More than 1,000 people are reportedly taking part in the two-day exercise in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, where the bunker is located deep inside the Ural Mountains. The drill is designed to test how emergency services would respond to a nuclear catastrophe involving multiple crises at the same time. According to the report, the exercise involves rescue workers, medical personnel, police and troops from Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces.

Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom said the scenario was based on a “highly improbable combination of multiple adverse events, including natural disasters.” “The goal is to test the readiness of personnel and the coordination between emergency services,” Rosatom added.

In the two-day exercise includes evacuations, clearing rubble and extinguishing fires. Officials said the aim is to test the effectiveness of measures designed to prevent and respond to emergencies. Such large-scale exercises are reportedly conducted annually at different Russian nuclear facilities.

Bunker recently underwent major upgrade

The drill comes amid reports that Russia has been carrying out extensive work on a Cold War-era nuclear command facility deep inside a mountain in the northern Urals. Known as Facility 1335, the facility is located near Kosvinsky Kamen and has been described in Western reports as a “Doomsday Mountain.”

It has reportedly remained largely inactive for years, but an investigation by Danwatch, The Sunday Times and the Dossier Center found evidence of major construction and procurement activity aimed at preparing the complex for renewed operations. An analysis of more than two million military procurement records reportedly found orders for huge quantities of construction materials, including 22,000 tons of steel and more than 56,000 tons of cement. Other reported purchases include more than 600 kilometres of electrical cables and specialised filtration equipment designed to protect against chemical, biological and radioactive contamination. Satellite imagery reportedly shows extensive excavation and construction work around the facility. The complex is said to contain 24 underground chambers, with its main and emergency entrances separated by roughly 2.5 kilometres.

The facility is also reportedly associated with Perimetr, the Soviet-era backup nuclear command system known in the West as “Dead Hand.” The system was designed to ensure that Russia could maintain its ability to retaliate in the event that normal nuclear command and communication systems were destroyed.

Why is Russia upgrading the bunker?

Reports suggest the renovation involves new automation, communications and blast-resistant systems, as well as ventilation equipment capable of filtering radioactive dust. Satellite images have reportedly shown repairs and construction across different sections of the facility, including new entrances built between 2022 and 2025.

The scale of the construction has been significant. Reports estimate that the concrete used in the project could cover at least 150,000 square metres, equivalent to the floor area of a large multi-storey complex.

Tom Roseth, an expert in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Staff College, told The Times that the equipment being installed could indicate that Russia is expanding and reinforcing the underground facility. “The expansion of Facility 1335 follows a major upgrade of Russia’s nuclear forces, which has been given high priority within the Russian armed forces,” Roseth said.