Vladimir Putin has revived a Cold War-era plan to ensure Russia could launch mass retaliatory strikes on its enemies, even in the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
Perimeter, better known in the West as Dead Hand, was conceived as a doomsday strategy which would have essentially guaranteed mutually assured destruction.
A network of bunkers, designed to withstand the force of a nuclear strike, were constructed across Russia, forming a back-up communications system that would relay the order for retaliation even if central command stations and national leaders were wiped out.
The programme was largely allowed to peter out following the fall of the Soviet Union, but a new investigation – led by The Sunday Times, Danish media group Danwatch and the Dossier Centre – has revealed Putin spent hundreds of millions on repairing and expanding at least one bunker as part of an effort to revive Dead Hand.
Massive, nuclear-proof complex could provide shelter for Russian leaders
The investigation found Putin had concentrated his effort to revive Dead Hand on the remote village of Kytlym, roughly 2,000km from Moscow in the foothills of a granite mountain in the Urals.
An existing bunker, known alternatively as Facility 1335 or Object 1335, underwent extensive works, with tenders issued as early as 2011.
A structure as large as a multistorey apartment building is believed to have been constructed in the years since, along with new tunnels into and out of the mountain located above.
Documents revealed plans for at least 24 underground chambers, each equipped with air ventilation systems capable of filtering out chemical, biological, and radioactive contaminants.
As much as 20,000 tonnes of steel were used throughout, alongside enough concrete to lay a surface area of over 150,000 square metres.
The heavy reinforcement of the complex and Putin’s choice of location reflect concerns over United States-made bunker busting bombs, some of which are capable of tunnelling 18 metres through reinforced concrete before detonating.
Despite intense secrecy surrounding the project, many of the construction tenders were publicly available – likely as part of a deliberate deterrence ploy aimed at foreign intelligence agencies.
A military camp already exists at Facility 1335, but the complex is large enough to act as a maximum security shelter for potentially hundreds of troops and Russian leadership should a wider conflict erupt.
Revival suggests Putin anticipates further conflict
The revival of Dead Hand reflects Putin’s increasingly risky approach to pressuring Europe to withdraw support for Ukraine and cease pushing back on Russian aggression elsewhere.
It is also a response to the US’ use of so-called “decapitation strikes” against Iran and its lightning operation to abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The revival of Dead Hand reflects Putin’s increasingly risky approach to pressuring Europe to withdraw support for Ukraine (Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)Implementing a failsafe system designed to ensure retribution signals Putin has little intention of backing away from expansionist pushes in Ukraine and adds weight to claims the Kremlin could expand the war in the Baltics or other parts of Europe.
However, it also suggests Russia’s leader fears the consequences of a large-scale military confrontation with the West, particularly one in which the US is an active participant.
Joint US and Israeli strikes proved highly effective at quickly removing the Iran’s senior leadership, a fate Putin is keen to avoid, while the capture of Maduro proved American forces were capable of surgically extracting high-value individuals with little warning.
While it is unlikely such a manoeuvre could be replicated in Russia, Putin’s investment in a highly secure bunker suggests he may be seeking methods to limit the effectiveness of airstrikes designed to wipe out military and political leaders.
Russian planning a warning to European leaders
The redevelopment of Facility 1335 is the latest in a series of developments which highlight Russia’s long-term planning for a potential conflict with the West.
According to Colonel Yu Andreev, a veteran of the main directorate of the Russian aerospace defence forces, the complex was placed on combat duty in 2023, roughly one year after Putin invaded Ukraine.
This followed years of what he described as “experimental work” to ensure the project was complete and able to operate as intended.
Andreev’s remarks reflect assessments from various European intelligence agencies that Russia had spent years planning both the invasion and for the prospect of a wider conflict involving other European nations.
Contrasting this, few countries in Europe had spent significant time or resources preparing detailed plans to counter Russian aggression prior to the beginning of the war itself.
While the invasion led to a rapid re-assessment of risk among many in Europe, domestic political concerns in some nations and geopolitical instability elsewhere have presented challenges to planning and preparing for a wider war.
The rise of the pro-Russian Alternative for Germany (Afd) in Germany and potential for France to elect the Russia-friendly Marine Le Pen could see progress toward forming a long-term plan for confronting Russian aggression further disrupted.
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