Russian Deserter Reports Constant Nuclear-Based Lie Detector Tests

• A Russian deserter who was an officer at a top secret nuclear weapons facility spoke to the BBC.
• He described an atmosphere of paranoia in which staff were subjected to lie detector tests.
• The deserter said his job was to make sure his subordinates didn’t bring phones onto the base.

A Russian deserter who once served as an officer at a top-secret nuclear weapons facility in Russia said everyone at the base was subjected to regular lie detector tests.

The deserter, identified only as Anton for his protection, gave BBC News little-known details about guarding Russian nuclear weapons.

The media outlet said it verified his unit, rank and base using official documents.

“There are constant checks and lie detector tests for everyone,” Anton said, offering a rare insight into the pervasive paranoia and surveillance at a Russian nuclear base.

Anton said his unit was put on combat alert the day Russia invaded Ukraine and that his base was “theoretically” ready for a nuclear strike.

Anton told BBC News his unit was “locked in the base” from day one of the invasion, describing life there as regimented and closely monitored.

“It was my responsibility to ensure that the soldiers under me did not take phones with them to the nuclear base,” he said, adding that no strangers were allowed on the site and that even visits from parents required permission from the nuclear base at least three times Russian Federal Security Service required months in advance.

The Federation of American Scientists estimated that Russia’s military inventory as of March included about 4,380 nuclear warheads, as well as about 1,200 decommissioned warheads awaiting dismantling.

Since the 2022 invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and the West. Last week, Putin agreed to major changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine and lowered the threshold for an attack.

Anton told BBC News that he was carrying out his duties guarding nuclear weapons at the start of the full-scale invasion, but things changed when he was asked to give lectures to his troops.

According to specific written guidelines, he was told to characterize Ukrainian civilians as “combatants” who should be “destroyed.”

“That’s a red line for me – it’s a war crime,” Anton told BBC News. “I said I will not spread this propaganda.”

In response, Anton said, senior officers ordered him to be transferred to a regular assault brigade to prepare him for deployment to the front.

But before he was sent to fight, Anton signed a document refusing to take part and a criminal case was opened against him, BBC News reported.

The outlet said it reviewed documents confirming both his unit’s transfer and the criminal case.

With the help of a deserters’ organization, Anton managed to escape from Russia. He told BBC News this was only possible because he was no longer stationed at the high-security nuclear base.

He said he believed security forces were still looking for him and was taking precautions to prevent him from appearing on official systems.

He also said he had to cut off contact with all of his former colleagues. “You will have to take a lie detector test,” he said, “and any contact with me could lead to criminal proceedings.”