Soviet nuclear program

The Soviet nuclear program was a top-secret effort by the USSR to develop atomic weapons after World War II, motivated by security concerns and the desire for international prestige. Starting in the late 1940s, scientists and engineers designed and tested nuclear devices, culminating in the first Soviet atomic bomb in 1949. This development sparked an arms race with the United States, leading to the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The program also advanced nuclear science and technology, shaping geopolitics and deterrence strategies for decades.