Russia has reportedly begun round-the-clock monitoring to detect nuclear explosions at a newly opened facility.
“From July 1, 2022, in order to strengthen the defence capability of our state, shifts of the Main Centre for Geophysical Monitoring began to carry out round-the-clock duty,” Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the defence ministry.
The centre, which opened on June 1, is tasked with identifying the sources of man-made “geophysical disturbances” as well as nuclear explosions, Interfax reported.
Russia‘s official military deployment principles allow for the use of nuclear weapons if they - or other types of weapons of mass destruction - are used against it, or if the state faces an existential threat.
Meanwhile, the British Defence Ministry said that Russia will “almost certainly” shift its focus to capturing Donetsk Oblast now that Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Luhansk.
The Ministry of Defence added that the fight for the Donbas “has been grinding and attritional and this is highly unlikely to change in the coming weeks”.
