Russia's Nuclear Arsenal and Reactor Projects Face Scrutiny Amid Licensing Issues

A Congressional Research Service report confirms that Russia holds the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile, a strategic asset it continues to leverage.

Bellona’s March Nuclear Digest reveals growing strain in Russia’s civilian nuclear sector. At the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, Russian regulators issued long‑term licences for two reactors that remain in cold shutdown and lack the safety testing required for operation, a move described as “optics‑driven.” Delays also plague the Akkuyu project in Turkey, where sanctions and technical setbacks have pushed the first reactor’s start date beyond the original 2025 target, weakening Rosatom’s bargaining position. In Russia’s own Kursk Nuclear Power Plant II, the first unit has reached full power, but construction dates for a planned third unit appear inconsistent with publicly listed timelines, raising transparency concerns.

These developments illustrate how war, sanctions and regulatory shortcuts are challenging both Russia’s nuclear weapons posture and its civilian nuclear ambitions.