Wagner's Near Miss: Attempted Seizure of Russian Nuclear Weapons Revealed
Ukraine's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, claimed that Wagner Group mercenaries almost reached a Russian nuclear base, Voronezh-45, in late June. Budanov stated that the base housed small, Soviet-era nuclear bombs that could be carried in backpacks. While there is no evidence provided for these claims, surveillance footage and civilian-posted videos partially corroborate the assertion. It is unclear how close the mercenaries got to their intended destination, and it is unlikely that they would have possessed the knowledge to arm and deploy nuclear weapons on their own.