Analysts believe Russia may be preparing to test its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, nicknamed the "Flying Chernobyl," after satellite imagery showed a build-up of specialist aircraft and vessels at Arctic sites linked to previous trials. The missile is claimed by Moscow to have an unlimited range and the ability to stay airborne for days while evading air defences, and its testing pattern has drawn concern given rising tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine.

Norwegian defence analyst Thord Are Iversen said the deployments at Novaya Zemlya's Rogachyovo airbase and around the Pankovo test range in the Barents and Kara seas matched the pattern seen before earlier launches, including specialist Il-976 SKIP monitoring aircraft and an A-50U early-warning plane. In October 2025, Russia said the missile flew for 15 hours and covered 14,000 kilometres, a marked improvement on a 2022 test that lasted only two minutes. The reports come as Russia has warned of a "Pandora's box" being opened and hinted at possible "semi-military" retaliation, including hacking attacks on British factories, after the UK pledged to share long-range missile technology with Ukraine.