Training and Testing Grounds
Network Overview
The Russian Federation maintains an extensive, tiered system of military training and testing grounds (poligony) distributed across all military districts and service branches. Core test ranges include the 4th State Central Interservice Test Range at Kapustin Yar (Astrakhan and Volgograd oblasts) for missiles and targets, the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk Oblast) for space and ballistic launches, and the Kura impact range (Kamchatka Krai) for reentry testing. The 45th State Central Naval Test Range near Nyonoksa (Arkhangelsk Oblast) conducts naval missile trials, while the 929th State Flight Test Center at Akhtubinsk (Astrakhan Oblast) integrates aircraft and weapon testing. Large combined-arms training areas are operated by the Ground Forces across the Western, Southern, Central, Eastern, and Northern Fleet military districts, with additional air and missile defense live-fire ranges at Ashuluk (Astrakhan Oblast) and Telemba (Republic of Buryatia). Russia also uses the Sary Shagan missile defense test range in Kazakhstan under bilateral arrangements.
Strategic Missile and Space Test Ranges
Kapustin Yar, established in 1946 near Znamensk, hosted the first Soviet ballistic missile launch (R-1) in October 1947 and continues to support ballistic, cruise missile, and target-vehicle testing. Plesetsk Cosmodrome has supported military space launches and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests since the 1960s; typical ballistic test trajectories terminate at the Kura Missile Test Range in Kamchatka, an instrumented reentry and impact complex near Klyuchi. Russia also employs the Chizha impact range on the Kanin Peninsula (Nenets Autonomous Okrug) as an alternative impact area, including for some submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) firings from the Northern Fleet’s operating areas in the Barents and White Seas.
Air and Missile Defense Ranges
The Ashuluk range in Astrakhan Oblast is a principal live-fire site for the Aerospace Forces (VKS), including training and tests with S-300 series, S-350, S-400, Buk, and Tor surface-to-air missile systems, as well as use of target drones and ballistic target missiles. The Telemba range in the Republic of Buryatia hosts long-range air defense training and evaluation for Eastern formations. Sary Shagan, located in Kazakhstan near Lake Balkhash, has served as the primary Soviet and Russian missile defense test range since the 1950s; under Kazakhstan–Russia agreements, it is currently used by Russia for anti-ballistic missile testing and evaluations of long-range surface-to-air systems against ballistic-type targets, with numerous intercept tests publicly announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense from 2018 onward.
Aerospace Flight-Test Centers and Air-to-Ground Ranges
The 929th State Flight Test Center named after V. P. Chkalov (Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Oblast) conducts state trials and operational testing of combat aircraft and air-delivered weapons, drawing on nearby instrumented ranges including Ashuluk and Kapustin Yar for live releases and telemetry. Additional flight-test and research activities occur at Zhukovsky (Moscow Oblast) through the Gromov Flight Research Institute, although live weapons firings are typically conducted at southern and steppe ranges. Air-to-ground and bomber training is supported by ranges such as the Pemboy bombing range near Vorkuta (Komi Republic), used by Long-Range and Frontal Aviation for conventional bombing practice.
Naval and Coastal Test Ranges
The 45th State Central Naval Test Range at Nyonoksa (Arkhangelsk Oblast) supports testing of naval missiles and associated systems in the White Sea and adjacent maritime test areas. On 8 August 2019, a fatal accident occurred during a test involving a liquid-fueled rocket engine at this naval range; Russian authorities reported casualties and local monitoring recorded a brief radiation increase in Severodvinsk. In the Black Sea theater, the Opuk and Chauda training grounds in Crimea are used for amphibious operations and coastal defense training. Carrier aviation training is conducted at ground-based NITKA facilities: the original complex at Saki (Crimea) and a newer complex at Yeysk (Krasnodar Krai), which provide ski-jump and arresting-gear runways for shipborne aviation proficiency.
Major Combined-Arms Training Areas
Large maneuver and live-fire grounds include Mulino (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast), the Ground Forces’ 333rd Combat Training Center and site of the main phase of the Zapad-2021 strategic-operational exercise; Luga (Leningrad Oblast), frequently used during Zapad iterations; Prudboy (Volgograd Oblast) for armored and artillery live fire; Donguz (Orenburg Oblast), a principal Central Military District training ground and site of the main phase of the Tsentr-2019 exercise; Tsugol (Zabaykalsky Krai), the focal ground for Vostok-2018; Totskoye (Orenburg Oblast), historically the site of the 1954 nuclear field exercise and now used for conventional training; Kadamovsky and Kuzminsky (Rostov Oblast), Southern Military District combined-arms areas; Pogonovo (Voronezh Oblast), used for large temporary force concentrations and training; Chebarkul (Chelyabinsk Oblast), employed for major national and multinational drills; and Alabino (Moscow Oblast) for mechanized training, parade preparations, and tank biathlon preliminaries.
Arctic and Nuclear Test Site
The Central Nuclear Test Site at Novaya Zemlya (Arkhangelsk Oblast) encompasses surface and underground test areas including the Matochkin Shar tunnel complex. The Soviet Union’s last full-scale nuclear explosive test occurred in 1990 at Novaya Zemlya; since then, Russia has publicly reported only subcritical experiments. Russia signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 and ratified it in 2000; in November 2023, it enacted legislation withdrawing ratification, while remaining a CTBT signatory. No publicly acknowledged full-yield nuclear explosive tests have been conducted by Russia since 1990.
Instrumentation and Range Infrastructure
Russian ranges employ fixed and mobile instrumentation suites for radar tracking, telemetry reception, optical and infrared trajectory measurement, acoustic and seismic sensors, and debris/impact registration. Kapustin Yar and Plesetsk–Kura test corridors are supported by distributed telemetry stations and optical posts; Kura and Chizha maintain instrumented impact areas for precise reentry monitoring. Air-defense ranges like Ashuluk and Telemba use comprehensive scoring systems for missile engagements against aerial targets, including unmanned target drones and ballistic surrogates. Naval ranges in the White and Barents Seas employ instrumented sea boxes, range safety vessels, and coastal tracking stations. Detailed layouts, operating schedules, and the full specifications of measurement complexes are not publicly released.
Legal and International Status
Sary Shagan lies on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is used by Russia under bilateral intergovernmental agreements; Kazakhstan retains sovereignty over the site. In Crimea, Russia has exercised de facto control since 2014 and operates military training grounds there, while the majority of UN member states, through UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 (27 March 2014), recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. The Novaya Zemlya test site is within the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk Oblast) and remains a closed, restricted area. As regards nuclear testing obligations, Russia remains a CTBT signatory after withdrawing ratification in 2023; no treaty permits full-scale nuclear explosive testing, and Russia has continued to report only subcritical experiments at Novaya Zemlya.
Recent Notable Exercises and Incidents
Major strategic-operational exercises have highlighted these grounds: Vostok-2018 culminated at Tsugol with participation from Chinese and Mongolian forces; Tsentr-2019’s main phase was held at Donguz; Kavkaz-2020 conducted large-scale events at Kapustin Yar and southern ranges; Zapad-2021’s principal demonstration occurred at Mulino. Strategic nuclear force drills under the Grom series have included ICBM launches from Plesetsk to the Kura range and SLBM launches from the Northern Fleet toward Kura or Chizha. Notable incidents include an ammunition depot explosion at Donguz in October 2012 and the 8 August 2019 fatal accident at the Nyonoksa naval test range. These events are publicly documented and illustrate the scale and risk profile inherent to live testing and large-force training activities.