Satellite pics show Putin ramping up Russia's closest nuke sites to Britain…housing missiles that can reach UK in 6mins
SATELLITE pictures have exposed mad Vladimir Putin's modernisation of Russia's closest nuclear sites to Britain.
The Russian dictator is believed to store at least 100 atomic missiles in Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea - with missiles able to reach the UK in just six minutes.
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The Kaliningrad site is among five key nuclear bases in the west of the country being upgraded by Russia as World War Three fears loom.
Bombshell satellite images obtained by Swedish broadcaster SVT show how in Kaliningrad, Putin's suspected nuclear weapons storage site has undergone significant reconstruction.
Mad Vlad is already known to station Iskander-M missiles in the militarised Russian enclave which has land borders with two Nato states - Poland and Lithuania.
And a stash of Kalibr-NK cruise missiles at the site could reach the UK in just six minutes due to their incredible range.
The SSC-8 cruise missile is also likely warehoused in Kaliningrad, and have the ability to strike the UK too.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has previously warned that up to 100 tactical nuclear warheads could be stored at the deadly site.
Images from last month show the terrifying addition of triple-layered fencing at the site, alongside brand new buildings and modern, high-tech communications equipment.
Another key site, the Asipovichy base in Belarus, a former Soviet nuclear storage facility situated around 1,000 miles from the UK, is also under renovation.
Satellite imagery shows new air defence installations, a new loading platform for rail-based logistics, and high security fencing.
Radiation monitors are known to be at the site, and storage for iodine prophylaxis - indicating the likely basing of nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles.
Similar mystery buildings have been erected at both sites.
On the top-secret Kola Peninsula, Russian forces have built a dozen storage bunkers that have emerged over the past decade at Gadzhiyevo base - some 60 miles from Nato territory in Norway.
Each has space for four submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
At the nearby Okolnaya base, satellite images show a facility that has taken shape that allows submarines to be loaded with missiles from land.
SVT reported: "We count and see that there are now around 50 bunker-like buildings there - which could mean space for 200 missiles."
New building is also underway at Novaya Zemlya, a remote Arctic archipelago where Putin is feared to be preparing for the first nuclear bomb tests since the Soviet era.
The site was inspected in recent days by military-experienced Russian politicians, who made crystal clear the facility is 'combat ready'.
Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev posted from the location: 'You know, there's a lot of fascinating stuff I could say about the test site - but sadly, I cannot.
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'The only thing I can say is we're fully combat ready.'
Novaya Zemlya is notorious for its role as a Soviet nuclear test site in the Cold War.
The Tsar Bomb - the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated - was tested there in 1961.
The explosion was so gargantuan, it caused shockwaves that circled the Earth multiple times.
Its mushroom cloud also reached over 37 miles into the sky.
A total of 130 nuclear tests were conducted on Novaya Zemlya by the Soviet Union between 1955 and 1990.
Of these, 86 were atmospheric, 39 underground and three underwater, according to declassified documents.
The Kremlin has showcased a warning from Russia's Dr Doom to the West that it faces Armageddon by challenging Putin.
Nuclear missile scientist Dr Yury Dikov, 87, developer of deadly Bulava, Yars, and Satan-2 warheads, spoke as he was awarded a top honour in the Kremlin by the Moscow dictator.
The 'jackals' of the West, backing Ukraine, would 'break their teeth' on Putin's nuclear shield, he said.
The atomic scientist told Putin: 'You inherited [Russia] at a very difficult time.
'You managed to pull it back from the brink of disaster and set it on the path to development.
'Now our enemies are gathering again, hoping for easy prey.
'I think that just as Napoleon failed, and Hitler failed, so too will the modern jackals of Nato fail.
'Russian nuclear scientists, represented by me at this moment, thank you for your trust.
'And we can assure you that we will not let you down and that this whole pack will break its teeth on our nuclear shield.'
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