Russia has modernized and re-activated “Object 1335,” a Cold War-era deep underground command center located beneath Mount Kosvinskij Kamen in the Ural Mountains. According to an investigation published by The Sunday Times, alongside Danwatch and the Dossier Center, the reinforced facility is designed to survive bunker-busting munitions and transmit automated launch commands for retaliatory nuclear strikes even if national leadership is incapacitated.
Inside the Kosvinskij Kamen Underground Complex
The bunker sits near the remote village of Kitlim in the Ural Mountains at an elevation of approximately 396 meters. While the surrounding region features dense pine forests and limited access routes, the military installations are heavily guarded. Armed soldiers have restricted access to the site since the 1980s, when the Soviet Union originally developed the “Perimeter” strategy—frequently called the “Dead Hand”—to guarantee a retaliatory nuclear strike under catastrophic conditions.
According to Pavel Podvig, a nuclear disarmament expert and director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project, the facility functions primarily as a secure communication relay. “If you’re attacked, you have to be sure that you can transmit the order to carry out countermeasures,” Podvig explained regarding the technical purpose of such command posts.
Reviving the Perimeter Nuclear Strategy
While Western intelligence agencies previously believed the Kosvinskij Kamen underground site was abandoned following the end of the Cold War, recent satellite imagery and open-source intelligence reveal extensive modern construction. A high-ranking Russian military official told investigators that Object 1335 serves to ensure that the Strategic Missile Forces can execute their mission of retaliating against any adversary.
Tom Roser, an expert on Russian security policy at the Norwegian Military Academy, noted that the expansion aligns with broader efforts by Moscow. “It appears that the Russians are protecting this site from any kind of attack,” Roser stated, emphasizing that the modernization of Object 1335 coincides with a comprehensive upgrade of Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenal amid heightened geopolitical tensions with the West.
Communications Infrastructure and Capabilities
In the event of a catastrophic first strike that disrupts conventional command chains, the Kosvinskij Kamen bunker is engineered to transmit very-low-frequency radio signals. These signals can activate mobile missile launchers and trigger secondary automated systems designed to maintain operational readiness across surviving nuclear silos and mobile units.
Related reading