Russia's secret nuclear bases exposed: Massive document leak

• Journalists from Danwatch and "Der Spiegel" have revealed the leak of two million documents concerning Russia's secret nuclear bases.
• The documents show extensive modernization of military infrastructure, including the construction of new barracks, guard towers, and underground tunnels.
• Experts suggest the leak could expose vulnerabilities to attack, potentially forcing Russia into costly reconstruction of its bases.

Journalists from the investigative portal Danwatch and the newspaper "Der Spiegel" have obtained two million Russian documents concerning the country's secret nuclear bases. Among them are detailed plans for the construction and modernization of the base in Yasny, where the Avangard hypersonic glide missile has been stationed since 2019. The documents also reveal information about security systems, the placement of cameras and sensors, and infrastructure details such as underground tunnels and weapons rooms.

— If you can understand how the electricity is conducted or where the water comes from, and you can see how the different things are connected in the systems, then you can identify strengths and weaknesses and find a weak point to attack, — says Philip Ingram, a former colonel and commander of the British Army's 1st Military Intelligence Battalion.

Tom Roset from the Norwegian Staff College adds that Western intelligence services are closely monitoring the modernization of Russian nuclear forces, which could influence their defensive strategy.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment on the matter, but experts predict that the data leak could compel Russia to reconstruct its bases. Modifying the infrastructure of these facilities will be costly, potentially impacting the country's defense budget. The State Duma had previously tightened public procurement regulations for the military, but this did not prevent the leak.