Putin revives Cold War 'Dead Hand' nuclear doomsday bunker hidden inside Urals mountain to guarantee strikes on the West

From the Newshound archive · first published 27 September 2026 · last updated 28 September 2026.

Russia has massively expanded Facility 1335, a secret underground command centre buried beneath Kosvinsky Kamen mountain in the Urals, as part of a revival of the Soviet-era 'Dead Hand' system designed to guarantee retaliatory nuclear strikes on the West even if the Kremlin's leadership is wiped out. Satellite imagery, procurement records and construction documents reveal hundreds of millions of pounds spent rebuilding the 24-room tunnel complex since 2018. Experts say the investment signals Putin's growing paranoia about a Western attack and his determination to ensure Russia's nuclear command survives a first strike.

The bunker is built to withstand American bunker-busting bombs and would transmit radio signals to surviving missile launchers to fire in full force.

Construction records show the site has consumed three million litres of fuel, 823,000 litres of gas and 20,000 tonnes of steel — the equivalent of three Eiffel Towers.

The 'Dead Hand' programme was allowed to fade after the Soviet collapse but Putin reportedly began pouring resources back into it from around 2020, procurement data shows.