Russia revives Cold War ‘Dead Hand’ nuclear retaliation system

Vladimir Putin has reportedly revived the Soviet-era ‘Perimeter’ system, known in the West as ‘Dead Hand,’ a doomsday strategy designed to ensure mass nuclear retaliation even if central command and national leadership are destroyed.

Investigations into the project reveal that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to expand and repair a massive underground command center known as Facility 1335 (or Object 1335). Located near the remote village of Kytlym in the Ural Mountains, the complex is built to withstand advanced American bunker-busting bombs.

The facility includes at least 24 underground chambers equipped with advanced ventilation systems to filter chemical, biological, and radioactive contaminants. The scale of construction is significant, involving approximately 20,000 tonnes of steel and enough concrete to cover 150,000 square meters. Once activated, the system is designed to transmit radio signals to mobile missile launchers and surviving silos to launch a full-scale retaliatory strike if communications with the Kremlin are severed following a nuclear attack.