Accessibility links

Breaking News

Medvedev Marks 60 Years Since First Hydrogen Bomb Test


Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has congratulated the Research Institute of Experimental Physics ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s first hydrogen bomb test.

In a message sent to the facility in Sarov, in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, Medvedev said the development of the bomb had "become not only an effective instrument to protect national security, but also an important milestone in the construction of a system of global nuclear deterrence, which today provides a durable peace in the world."

The Soviet Union’s first atomic test was on August 29, 1949. Its first hydrogen bomb test took place on August 12, 1953.

Known by the Russians as RDS-6, it was nicknamed "Joe 4" by Americans.

It used a layer-cake design of fission and fusion fuels and produced a yield of 400 kilotons.


Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Interfax

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG