Russia's Changing Stance on Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Raises Concerns

Russia's parliament, the Duma, has passed the first reading to revoke the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), with the aim of restoring parity with the United States. While Russia claims it will not resume testing unless the US does, experts are concerned that this move could lead to a new era of big power nuclear testing. The swift passage of the deratification bill suggests Russia may be inching towards resuming testing. However, Russia has stated it will remain a signatory to the CTBT and continue to supply data to the global monitoring system.