Several nuclear-armed countries including India and Pakistan are possibly planning to conduct nuclear tests as geopolitical tensions soar in the 21st century, according to a report by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organisation, was founded by Albert Einstein and former Manhattan Project scientists soon after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It focuses on nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.

The issue of nuclear testing was once again the topic of discussion in the journal after Russia withdrew its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in November 2023.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that Moscow will not conduct nuclear testing “unless the United States does so”.

While experts believe this is highly unlikely in US President Joe Biden’s administration, Satellite imagery suggests otherwise regarding the nuclear programmes of both the US and Russia along with China who are the world’s three largest nuclear powers.

The journal highlighted growing construction activities being conducted since 2021 at nuclear testing sites in the US, Russia, and China.

“Also watching are India and Pakistan—countries whose latest tests were conducted in 1998 and who haven’t signed the test ban treaty. They may seek any opportunity to test another nuclear device,” the journal noted.

According to experts, Russia and China are working to expand underground tunnels at their nuclear test sites of Novaya Zemlya and Lop Nur, respectively.

The US administration is also expanding the Nevada Test Site with officials saying that the work is aimed at improving the diagnostic capabilities for the management and performance of the US nuclear stockpile.

It is pertinent to mention that the US maintains a policy of readiness, according to which the country is prepared to conduct a nuclear test within six months after any of its adversaries conduct one.

Meanwhile, North Korea remains the only country to have tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century. The country, under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, is set to conduct its seventh such test. The test is likely to be conducted underground.