Facility 1335 Under the Mountain: Russia Upgrades 'Dead Hand' to Protect Nuclear Command Line

British and Danish journalistic investigations have revealed the expansion and modernization of a highly classified Russian military facility inside Mount Kosvinsky Kamen in the Ural Mountains. The site is believed to be connected to the "Perimeter" nuclear command and control system, known in the West as "Dead Hand," bringing one of the most controversial nuclear deterrence systems since the Cold War back into the spotlight.

According to the joint investigation conducted by "The Sunday Times," "Dan Watch," and "Dossier Center," the facility known as "Facility 1335" or "Grot" has undergone extensive expansion and modernization work, based on millions of procurement documents, construction records, satellite imagery, and open sources.

The facility is located in a highly isolated mountainous area near the village of Kitaly, at the foot of Mount Kosvinsky Kamen, which provides a naturally fortified location for military infrastructure buried deep underground.

Facility 1335.. The Last Deterrent Line
Investigations indicate that the facility is linked to the backup command and control network of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, designed during the Soviet era to ensure continued communication with strategic missile forces even if main command centers are destroyed or communication channels with the high command are severed.

This does not necessarily mean that the system operates as an independent "nuclear button" that launches missiles upon detecting a nuclear explosion, a common image associated with the term "Dead Hand" in Western literature.

Expert estimates suggest that the essence of "Perimeter" lies in providing a backup command and communication channel capable of delivering retaliation orders to nuclear forces in the event that the command infrastructure suffers a widespread strike.

According to the investigations, Facility 1335 may play a role in this system through fortified communication centers and command channels, allowing for the continued transmission of orders to strategic missile units if primary communication networks are paralyzed.

Thousands of Tons Under the Mountain
Procurement documents reviewed by the entities involved in the investigation reveal the massive scale of work carried out at the site in recent years.

The documents indicate the purchase of more than 22,000 tons of steel used for reinforcement work, approximately 56,000 tons of cement, along with about 600 kilometers of cables, 182 ventilation units, as well as transformers, power stations, heavy equipment, and other fittings related to the facility's infrastructure.

These figures reflect the scale of investments required to modernize an underground military facility capable of operating under conditions where traditional military infrastructure is subjected to precision strikes, electronic jamming operations, or attacks targeting command centers.

The investigation links these works to attempts to enhance the resilience of the Russian nuclear command system against significant developments in reconnaissance means, cyberattacks, and long-range weapons.

"Dead Hand".. A System from the Cold War
The "Perimeter" system was developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, a time when Moscow and Washington competed to build capabilities ensuring nuclear deterrence even if command centers suffered a surprise strike.

Development of the system began decades before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and its components entered service during the 1980s as a backup command and control system rather than merely an independent launch platform.

Western experts and media dubbed the system "Dead Hand" or "Doomsday Machine," referring to its presumed ability to maintain nuclear retaliation capability even after political and military leadership suffers a devastating blow.

This name has sparked widespread debate over the decades regarding the degree of automation of the system, and whether it can make launch decisions independently, or if it primarily functions as a backup communication and command network.

Modernization, Not Necessarily "Automatic Launch"
American researcher specializing in defense policy, David Fischer, believes that what is happening at Facility 1335 can be interpreted within the framework of modernizing and securing Russian nuclear command and communication networks, and not necessarily as a transition to a fully automated launch system.

Fischer tells "Erem News" that "Perimeter" is essentially not just a button that automatically launches missiles upon detecting a nuclear explosion, but rather a secure communication network designed to ensure that command orders reach strategic missile forces and remote sites in case primary communication channels with the high command are cut off.

He adds that reinforcement work and the renewal of power, ventilation, and communication systems are consistent with the development of reconnaissance capabilities, cyberattacks, and high-precision weapons, aiming to prevent the destruction of the Russian nuclear command infrastructure by a single strike.

He points out that maintaining command and control capability is a fundamental element of nuclear deterrence strategy, because possessing missiles and nuclear warheads alone is insufficient if the order issuance and communication system with the forces can be paralyzed.

Putin Reshapes Deterrence Doctrine
These developments come amid increasing Russian focus on modernizing strategic nuclear forces and command and control systems.

In November 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree adopting an updated version of the "Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence," replacing the previous document issued in 2020, and defining the risks and circumstances under which Russia might resort to using nuclear weapons.

Putin later affirmed that strategic nuclear forces remain a key element in guaranteeing Russia's security and maintaining strategic balance, pointing to their continued modernization and the development of new deterrence systems.

In other statements, the Kremlin emphasized that command, control, and communication systems represent part of the priorities for developing the Russian Armed Forces, parallel to the modernization of strategic nuclear forces.

"Decapitation Strike" Haunts Moscow
The nature of the work carried out at Facility 1335 reveals one of the most important concerns governing Russian military planning: the possibility that political and military command centers suffer a surprise attack leading to a severance of communication between leadership and nuclear forces.

For this reason, fortified underground facilities become more important in nuclear doctrine, as they provide alternatives to traditional command centers and allow for maintaining communication with forces deployed in distant areas.

Experts note that modernizing this infrastructure does not necessarily mean Moscow is preparing to use nuclear weapons, but could be part of a broader strategy to preserve deterrence capability and prevent any adversary from believing that a first strike could paralyze Russia's ability to retaliate.

At the same time, other experts believe that directly linking the facility to the reactivation of "Dead Hand" requires caution, especially since details of the current system remain classified, and there is no complete official Russian information regarding the nature of the upgrades made to the facility or the level of automation of the "Perimeter" system.

The Concept of Nuclear Deterrence
The modernization of Facility 1335 sheds light again on the shift in the concept of nuclear deterrence from merely possessing missiles and nuclear warheads to protecting a complete system that includes communications, command centers, early warning, and the ability to issue orders under conditions of electronic warfare and precision strikes.

In this sense, the thousands of tons of construction materials, long kilometers of cables, and power and ventilation systems installed deep within Mount Kosvinsky Kamen do not represent mere engineering works, but rather part of a broader battle for the survival of Russian nuclear command capability in the face of the evolution of modern warfare tools.

The significance of Facility 1335 remains tied to Moscow's ability to ensure the continuity of the "chain of command" in worst-case scenarios, while the most sensitive question remains the extent to which "Perimeter" has transformed from a backup communication system into a more advanced network capable of operating in an all-out war environment, details of which remain shrouded in strict secrecy.