Experts are worried because the re-activation of Perimetr comes in a time of renewed conflict between East and West. “Perimeter will once again be given priority now in a more tense geopolitical situation in which Russia sees itself as being in conflict with the West”, says Tom Røseth from Norway.

The work on Object 1335 and Perimetr is part of a much broader modernization effort of Russia’s nuclear weapons complex during recent years. Last year, Danwatch and Der Spiegel revealed how dozens of bases had been completely rebuilt to handle new delivery systems for nuclear weapons.

Another clue came from a Russian military magasine for veterans of the Strategic Missile Forces. In a number of articles, retired Major General V.G. Khalin, who worked on the Dead Hand, explained how it had been upgraded and put back into combat duty in 2023.

Anyway, there was nothing in Kytlym, or in the military unit’s compound a few kilometers away that could explain the materials ordered. Nothing big was being built. But satellite images reveal that a lot has been going on inside Mount Kosvinsky next to it.

Quick side note: I am a very big fan of the Russian bureaucracy! They go to such great lengths to conceal sensitive stuff, using different codes and numbers. But then sometimes, whoops, accidentally include something on page 59 of some contract draft that suddenly ties everything together.

Between 2018-2024, thousands of tenders were sent out. By systematic review, we found that gigantic quantities of construction materials were delivered to Kytlym. More steel than 3 Eiffel towers. More cement than in several modern high-rises. Hundreds of kilometres of cable.

The revelation is based on 2.5 million military procurement documents collected from a Russian database in 2024. Buried in the docs are references to something called ”Object 1335” near the tiny settlement Kytlym in the middle of nowhere in Russia.

Four years in the rabbit hole with millions of Russian military docs, and I finally feel comfortable writing this (very uncomfortable) story. Russia appears to have upgraded and re-activated the fabled Dead Hand that ensures global nuclear retaliation if Russia comes under attack.

The owner of a holding company in Copenhagen worked for the KGB for 20 years. He was one of several officers responsible for the Soviet Union's "illegals" program that equipped deep cover spies with fake identities to infiltrate the West. DK director refuses to talk. With @jakobbohr.bsky.social