Tue Nov 26 16:16:31 UTC 2024: ## Former Russian Nuclear Officer Defects, Reveals High Alert Status at War’s Start
**London, UK** – A former officer from a top-secret Russian nuclear weapons facility has revealed chilling details about the readiness of Russia’s nuclear arsenal on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, speaking exclusively to the BBC. Identifying himself only as Mr. Anton, the officer described the immediate implementation of full combat alert on February 24, 2022, stating that his unit was “ready to launch forces into the sea and air and, in theory, carry out a nuclear strike.”
Documents corroborating Mr. Anton’s rank, unit, and base location were provided to the BBC. His account confirms that the high alert status, publicly announced by President Vladimir Putin three days later, was in effect from the very beginning of the invasion. Mr. Anton and his colleagues were confined to the base with limited access to information, restricted to Russian state television.
The officer detailed the highly controlled environment of the base, including the absence of personal phones, stringent visitor protocols, and a rapid-response force with a two-minute reaction time. All personnel are professional soldiers subject to regular checks and lie detector tests. However, his experience took a dark turn when he was ordered to teach his troops to treat Ukrainian civilians as combatants, an order he refused, citing it as a war crime.
This act of defiance led to Mr. Anton’s reassignment to a regular assault brigade and the initiation of a criminal case against him. Facing deployment to the front lines, he fled Russia with the assistance of a volunteer organization aiding deserters. He explains that his transfer from the nuclear base, where escape would have been virtually impossible due to intense FSB surveillance, allowed him to evade capture.
Now living in hiding, Mr. Anton faces ongoing threats from Russian security services. He has severed contact with his former colleagues to protect them from potential repercussions. His testimony sheds unprecedented light on the inner workings of Russia’s nuclear forces and underscores the growing number of deserters fleeing the war, with volunteer groups reporting an increase to 350 deserters seeking help per month.
First Piper 