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Nuclear Forces·Russia

Nuclear weapons of Russia

An estimated 5,420 warheads, 1,796 of them deployed, delivered by air, sea, land forces.

Total inventory
5,420warheads
Military stockpile
4,4002026
Deployed
1,796
First test
1949
Delivery
Air Sea Land

Overview

Russia holds the world's largest nuclear inventory: roughly 5,420 warheads, of which about 4,400 form the military stockpile and an estimated 1,020 are retired and awaiting dismantlement. Around 1,800 warheads are deployed on strategic forces, and Russia also fields the world's largest stock of nonstrategic warheads, generally estimated at well over a thousand.

The triad rests on silo-based and road-mobile Yars ICBMs — with the heavy RS-28 Sarmat entering service slowly — Borei- and Delta IV-class submarines carrying Bulava and Sineva missiles, and Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers with long-range cruise missiles. A set of novel systems sits alongside the triad: the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo, the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile first fired against Ukraine in November 2024. Since 2023 Moscow has also reported forward-deploying nonstrategic warheads to Belarus, the first such basing abroad since the Soviet withdrawal.

Russia suspended its participation in New START in 2023 and revoked its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty the same year. A revised doctrine published in November 2024 widened the stated conditions for nuclear use. After New START expired in February 2026, Moscow said it would voluntarily observe the treaty's old ceilings for the time being.

The signals hardened through 2025: Moscow claimed successful tests of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon torpedo, ordered preparations for a possible return to nuclear testing at Novaya Zemlya, and announced the Oreshnik's deployment to Belarus by year-end. Strategic modernization is nearly complete — Moscow puts the modern share of its strategic forces above 95 percent — even as the Sarmat's flight-test record stays poor. Having let New START lapse, Russia observes the old ceilings as a voluntary restraint it can abandon at will.

Delivery systems

Road-mobile and silo ICBM

RS-24 Yars

 Heavy silo-based ICBM

RS-28 Sarmat

 Submarine-launched ballistic missile

RSM-56 Bulava

 Hypersonic glide vehicle

Avangard

 Nuclear-powered cruise missile

9M730 Burevestnik

 Dual-capable aeroballistic missile

Kh-47M2 Kinzhal

 Ballistic missile submarine

Borey

 Ballistic missile submarine

Delta IV

 Supersonic strategic bomber

Tu-160 Blackjack

 Strategic bomber

Tu-95 Bear
Stockpile historyest. warheads
1949 — 1 warheads 1949 1950 — 5 warheads 1951 — 25 warheads 1952 — 50 warheads 1953 — 120 warheads 1954 — 150 warheads 1955 — 200 warheads 1956 — 426 warheads 1957 — 660 warheads 1958 — 863 warheads 1959 — 1,048 warheads 1959 1960 — 1,627 warheads 1961 — 2,492 warheads 1962 — 3,346 warheads 1963 — 4,259 warheads 1964 — 5,242 warheads 1965 — 6,144 warheads 1966 — 7,091 warheads 1967 — 8,400 warheads 1968 — 9,490 warheads 1969 — 10,671 warheads 1969 1970 — 11,736 warheads 1971 — 13,279 warheads 1972 — 14,600 warheads 1973 — 15,878 warheads 1974 — 17,286 warheads 1975 — 19,235 warheads 1976 — 22,165 warheads 1977 — 24,281 warheads 1978 — 26,169 warheads 1979 — 28,258 warheads 1979 1980 — 30,665 warheads 1981 — 32,146 warheads 1982 — 33,486 warheads 1983 — 35,130 warheads 1984 — 36,825 warheads 1985 — 38,582 warheads 1986 — 40,159 warheads 40,159 1987 — 38,107 warheads 1988 — 36,538 warheads 1989 — 35,078 warheads 1989 1990 — 32,980 warheads 1991 — 29,154 warheads 1992 — 26,734 warheads 1993 — 24,403 warheads 1994 — 21,339 warheads 1995 — 18,179 warheads 1996 — 15,942 warheads 1997 — 15,442 warheads 1998 — 14,368 warheads 1999 — 13,188 warheads 1999 2000 — 12,188 warheads 2001 — 11,152 warheads 2002 — 10,114 warheads 2003 — 9,076 warheads 2004 — 8,038 warheads 2005 — 7,000 warheads 2006 — 6,643 warheads 2007 — 6,286 warheads 2008 — 5,929 warheads 2009 — 5,527 warheads 2009 2010 — 5,215 warheads 2011 — 4,858 warheads 2012 — 4,750 warheads 2013 — 4,650 warheads 2014 — 4,600 warheads 2015 — 4,500 warheads 2016 — 4,490 warheads 2017 — 4,300 warheads 2018 — 4,350 warheads 2019 — 4,330 warheads 2019 2020 — 4,310 warheads 2021 — 4,495 warheads 2022 — 4,477 warheads 2023 — 4,489 warheads 2024 — 4,380 warheads 2025 — 4,309 warheads 2026 — 4,400 warheads 4,400
Peak: 40,159 warheads in 1986. FAS estimates via Our World in Data (CC BY).
Among the nineTotal inventory
Treaty status
Non-Proliferation TreatyNuclear-weapon state
Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)Ratification revoked 2023
Prohibition Treaty (TPNW)Not party
All treaties
Related
Military forces of Russia Air force inventory Navy inventory Nuclear arsenals ranking World nuclear forces Blast simulator

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nuclear weapons does Russia have?

Russia is estimated to hold 5,420 nuclear warheads in its total inventory, with about 1,796 of them deployed on operational forces. The figure is an estimate from the Federation of American Scientists — no current official count exists.

When did Russia first test a nuclear weapon?

Russia conducted its first nuclear test in 1949.

What delivery systems does Russia use?

The arsenal is delivered by air, sea, land vectors, including RS-24 Yars, RS-28 Sarmat, RSM-56 Bulava, Avangard. Each system is documented in the equipment database linked on this page.

Is the arsenal of Russia growing?

See the stockpile history chart on this page: it tracks the estimated warhead count year by year since the first weapons were fielded, based on the FAS series published through Our World in Data.

Estimates: Federation of American Scientists, SIPRI Yearbook and other open sources. Last updated on 11 August 2026. Suggest a change
Latest Data Updates
  1. AUG 112026 Updated Yearly statistics, deployed warheads and warhead inventory updated across 2 entries
  2. MAR 152026 Updated Nuclear overview updated
  3. FEB 272026 Updated Deployed warheads and warhead inventory updated
  4. JAN 202026 Updated Nuclear overview updated