Man who once guarded Russia’s nuclear base reveals its war secrets

A former officer in Russia’s nuclear forces is among the rare few to speak out about his experiences at one of the country’s most secretive military bases. His testimony to the BBC is about the shaky readiness of Russia’s nuclear arsenal at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

On that fateful day, Mr. Anton stationed at a nuclear weapons base where his unit was put on full combat alert. “Before that we only had exercises. But the day the war started, the weapons were completely in place,’ he recalls. “We were ready to send the forces into the sea and the air and, in theory, carry out a nuclear attack.” Russia prepared for the worst.

Anton served as an officer at a highly secretive nuclear weapons facility, an environment with limited insight into its operations. Documents delivered to BBC confirmed his rank, unit and base. Three days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin announced that the country’s nuclear forces had been put on high alert. Anton confirmed that the alert was in place from day one and he and his colleagues were confined to the base with only access to Russian state television. They were not involved in combat, but were tasked with guarding the nuclear weapons. The heightened alert status lasted two to three weeks before it was finally lifted.

Anton gave a rare insight into the inner workings of Russia’s nuclear forces. All personnel are professional soldiers, not conscripted, and undergo regular checks and lie detector tests. The pay is significantly higher and the troops are not sent to war. Instead, their role is either to defend or carry out a nuclear strike.

Life at the nuclear base was strictly controlled, with no personal phones allowed and visitors requiring approval from the FSB months in advance. Anton worked in the security unit, part of a rapid reaction force with a response time of two minutes.

Things took a turn when he was given an order he couldn’t follow. He was told to teach his troops that Ukrainian civilians were to be treated as combatants and destroyed. Anton refused, calling it a war crime and dismissing the “propaganda”.

His refusal led to serious consequences. He was reprimanded by senior officers and transferred to a regular assault brigade, units often sent into battle as the “first wave.” Anton nevertheless signed a declaration of refusal to participate in the war, which resulted in a criminal case against him. “I showed them documents confirming my transfer to the assault squad and details of the criminal case,” explained Mr. Anton.

Before he was sent to the front lines, Mr. Anton to escape from Russia with the help of a volunteer organization that helps deserters. He explained that if he had tried to escape from the nuclear force base, the FSB Security Service would have reacted quickly, making it almost impossible for him to leave the country. However, since he had been transferred to a regular assault brigade, the high-level security clearance was no longer in effect, allowing him to escape.

After escaping, Mr. Anton joins the volunteer group “Idite Lesom” (which means “Go through the forest” or “Get Lost”), which helps deserters escape the Russian authorities. The group reports that the number of deserters seeking help has risen to 350 a month, with the risk to those fleeing escalating. Anton is very aware of the dangers he faces, both in his past role and in his current actions. “I understand that the more I do it, the greater the chances that they might try to kill me.”

He said he no longer speaks to his former colleagues at the nuclear base to protect them from the consequences of their contact with him. “They have to take lie detector tests and any contact with me could lead to criminal charges.”

Although he has left Russia, Mr. Anton still threatened. Russian security services continue to search for him, and he is now living in hiding, taking extreme precautions to avoid detection. “I work off the books and I don’t appear in any official systems,” he reveals.