Russia and weapons of mass destruction

The Russian Federation has the largest number of nuclear weapons in the world, with over 5,000 warheads. These weapons are part of a powerful system known as a nuclear triad, which includes land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and bombs carried by airplanes. Russia inherited these weapons and responsibilities from the Soviet Union, which once had the biggest nuclear arsenal ever, with about 45,000 warheads.

Russia is one of the five countries recognized as nuclear-weapon states under international agreements. However, there have been concerns about Russia’s actions related to other types of weapons, such as biological and chemical weapons. These weapons can cause great harm and are banned by international treaties, but there have been accusations that Russia has continued to work with them.

Since 2022, Russia’s actions in Ukraine have included threats involving nuclear weapons. This has caused worry among other countries. Russia also has many weapons that could be used on a smaller scale, called tactical nuclear weapons, which add to concerns about safety and peace.

The Soviet Union tested many nuclear weapons, including the most powerful ever tested, called Tsar Bomba. Russia has signed agreements to stop testing these weapons, but there have been changes in how these agreements are followed. The country also inherited large amounts of special materials that could be used to make more nuclear weapons.

Russia’s history with biological and chemical weapons dates back to the Soviet era, when large programs were developed. Despite international bans, there have been accusations that Russia used these dangerous substances in harmful ways, including in cases outside of Russia. These actions have led to ongoing concerns about safety and the rules that countries agree to follow.

Nuclear weapons

Russia has the world's largest nuclear weapons arsenal, with around 5,459 nuclear warheads as of 2025. About 1,718 of these are deployed. Russia is one of the five nuclear-armed countries recognized by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and maintains a "nuclear triad" of land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and bombers.

After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, nuclear weapons were left in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. These countries later agreed to give up their nuclear weapons, with Russia taking control of the entire Soviet nuclear arsenal. During its invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022, Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, has made several statements about using nuclear weapons, causing concern around the world. Russia continues to develop new nuclear weapons systems and has shared some nuclear capabilities with Belarus.

Biological weapons

Main article: Soviet biological weapons program

The Soviet Union had a large and advanced program for biological weapons, which started in the 1920s and continued until at least 1992. This program went against international agreements that the Soviet Union had signed.

After 1975, the program was mostly run by a group called Biopreparat, with other parts managed by different government ministries. There were many labs across the Soviet Union where research was done. In 1979, an accident at a military facility in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) released anthrax, making many people sick. Today, there are concerns that Russia continues some of these activities, even though they are not allowed by international rules.

Chemical weapons

Russia signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993 and ratified it in 1997. At that time, Russia declared a large amount of chemical weapons, including blister agents like mustard and nerve agents like Sarin. Destroying these chemicals took many years due to financial and environmental challenges. By 2017, Russia had destroyed all the chemical weapons it had declared.

However, there have been concerns about Russia's use of other chemical agents. In 2018, a former Russian agent and his daughter were poisoned in the United Kingdom by a chemical later identified as Novichok. In 2020, a Russian opposition figure was poisoned by the same type of chemical. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were reports of Russian forces using tear gas and other chemicals, which is banned by international agreements.