Russian deserter revealed military secrets of protection of nuclear base in the Russian Federation
The former officer of the Russian army, who served on a military base, which contains nuclear weapons, told about work at a secret facility and about how on the day of a full -scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the entire military base was brought to combat readiness. The BBC writes about it. The Russian military calls itself Anton. He agreed to communicate with journalists in a secret place outside the Russian Federation.
Anton was an officer at a super -secret facility for the production of nuclear weapons in Russia. He showed journalists documents confirming its part, title and base. BBC journalists say that they cannot conduct an independent check of all the events described by him, although they are in line with Russia's statements of the time.
Anton said that three days after the introduction of troops into the territory of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian forces of nuclear restraint were transferred to a "special regime of combat service". Anton says that alert was announced on the first day of the war, and claims that his unit was "closed inside the base". "We only had training before.
He notes that they could only receive all the news on the military base thanks to television and did not understand what was happening. "I did not understand what it means. I automatically fulfilled my duties. We didn't fight, we just guarded nuclear weapons," Anton added that the increased readiness regime was canceled in two to three weeks. Anton's testimony gives an idea of the secret internal work of nuclear forces in Russia. Soldiers rarely communicate with journalists.
"There is a very harsh selection. All are professional soldiers, no recruits. Everyone is constantly checked and checked on a lie detector. The salary is much higher, and the troops are not sent to war. They are there to be either repelled or struck," he explains . The former Russian army officer says that life on a military base was under strict control. "My responsibilities were to ensure that the soldiers did not take the phones for the nuclear base. It's a closed society, there are no strangers.
If you want your parents to come, you need to apply to the FSB Security Service in three months" , - he explains. Services who protect the nuclear base are special training. Anton was part of the base security unit - the rapid response forces that guarded nuclear weapons. "We had constant training exercises. The time of our reaction was two minutes," he says with a touch of pride.
According to the Federation of American scientists, Russia has about 4380 active nuclear warheads, but only 1700 of them are "deployed" or ready for use. All NATO member states together have a similar number. There is also fears that Putin can decide to deploy a "non -patient", often called tactical, nuclear weapons. These are smaller missiles that do not usually cause large -scale radioactive rainfall.
Only last week, Putin ratified changes in nuclear doctrine - official rules that determine how and when Russia can run nuclear weapons. The new doctrine states that Russia can launch if it is undergoing a "massive attack" of ordinary missiles by a non -nuclear state, but "with the participation or support of a nuclear state. " Some Western experts suggest that most of the country's weapons have survived since the Soviet times and may even be disabled.
The former nuclear forces officer rejected this opinion as "an extremely simplified point of view of the so -called experts. " "There may be outdated weapons in some areas, but the country has a huge nuclear arsenal, a huge number of warheads, including constant combat patrols on land, sea and in the air," Anton said. Russia's nuclear weapons are fully working and ready, he claimed. "Work on maintaining nuclear weapons is underway, it does not stop for a minute," Anton said.
According to him, shortly after the start of a full -scale war, he was given, according to him, a "criminal order" - to lectures with his soldiers, using very specific written instructions. "They said that Ukrainian civilians are combatants and should be destroyed! It was a red rise for me - this is a war crime. I said that I would not spread this propaganda!" He said. The senior officers made Anton reprimand, moving it to a regular assault team in the rest of the country.
He was told that he would be sent to war. These units often go into battle as the "first wave", and a number of Russian deserters told the BBC that "rest violators" who oppose the war were used as "cannon meat". Before sending to the front, Anton signed a statement of refusal to participate in the war and a criminal case was initiated. He showed journalists documents confirming his transfer to the assault team and details of a criminal case.
He then decided to escape from the country with the help of a volunteer organization for deserters. "If I escaped from the nuclear troops, the FSB local administration would respond decisively, and I would probably not be able to leave the country," he said. However, he believes that the system of admission to the highest level, the system of admission to the highest level gave it to a normal assault brigade.
Going the Forest Volunteer Organization, which helps Russian deserters, told the BBC reporters that the number of deserters from the Russian army who seek help has increased to 350 a month. Risks to those who run are also rising. At least one deserter was killed after escaping abroad, and there were several cases when men were returned to Russia and sued.
Although Anton has left Russia, he says that special services are still looking for him there: "I am taking precautions here, I work informally and do not appear in any official systems. " He says he stopped communicating with his friends on a nuclear base because he could be dangerous: "They will have to check a lie on a lie detector, and any contact with me can lead to a criminal case. " But he does not have any illusions about the risk he derives himself, helping other soldiers to flee.