Russia has begun mass producing mobile nuclear shelters amid growing fears that Vladimir Putin may escalate the conflict into a nuclear war.

The move comes 1,000 days into the ongoing war with Ukraine. On November 19, Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine to signal that he may resort to nuclear retaliation if Ukraine uses NATO-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory.

This includes a recent admission by Russia’s defense ministry that a Ukrainian strike on an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region, using U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles, was confirmed.

In response, Russia has launched serial production of mobile nuclear shelters, marking the first time such units have been manufactured on a large scale. These shelters are designed to protect individuals from the light radiation of a nuclear explosion and from radioactive contamination.

One version, called the Kub-M, is produced in Dzerzhinsk, a city named after Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police. The Kub-M shelter, priced at £300,000, can be transported by road or rail. It is capable of housing 54 people, though this can be expanded to 150 by adding extra blocks.

The mobile shelters offer protection from air shock waves, explosive debris, toxic chemicals, and radiation. Once set up at a prepared site, the Kub-M connects to local utility networks, but can operate independently for up to two days with its own life-support systems, including air filtration, water supply, sewage, and heating.

While the shelters are designed to withstand modern weapons, including nuclear attacks, their effectiveness remains uncertain.

In addition to the mobile shelters, Russia has an extensive network of underground bunkers for senior officials across the country. These bunkers span 11 time zones and are far from Putin’s personal facilities. He has a new nuclear control center, thought to be an underground city, where he and his close circle can live for extended periods. This command center is located near Ufa, about 725 miles east of Moscow.

Putin’s former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, operated from this center in early 2022, during the early stages of the war. Putin is also believed to have a series of palatial bunkers, concealed within his private residences, offering secure accommodations and living quarters for top officials.