How many nuclear weapons does Russia have? Who controls them?
How many nuclear weapons does Russia have? Who controls them?
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| Photo: Reuters |
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was fully prepared for nuclear war, warning the West that Moscow would consider it an escalation of war if the United States sent troops to Ukraine.
The biggest force behind Putin's threat is his stockpile of nuclear weapons. Currently, Russia and the United States are the world's largest nuclear powers. These two countries control 90 percent of the world's total nuclear weapons.
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Reuters tried to find out exactly how many nuclear weapons Russia has and who controls them.
How many nuclear weapons does Russia have?
The former Soviet Union's stockpile of nuclear weapons is now in Russia's hands. The country currently owns the world's largest nuclear arsenal.
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Putin currently has about 5,580 nuclear warheads. However, about 1200 of them have expired. But most are still intact despite the expiration date. And there are about 4,380 long-range strategic launchers and short-range tactical nuclear forces in Russia's arsenal.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had at most about 40,000 warheads. And the highest number in the US warehouse was 30 thousand.
Under what circumstances can nuclear weapons be used?
Russia issued guidelines in 2020 on the circumstances under which a Russian president might consider using nuclear weapons. It says: nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction may only be used in response to an attack or the use of conventional weapons against Russia 'when the existence of the state would be threatened'.
Will Russia get more nuclear weapons?
In the '2022 Nuclear Posture Review', the US said Russia and China are increasing and modernizing their nuclear weapons stockpiles.
In this regard, FAS said in their 2024 analysis, “However, Russia's nuclear statements and threatening rhetoric are of great concern. Yet the country's nuclear arsenal and its management have changed very little beyond the ongoing modernization we envision for Russia's nuclear arsenal by 2023."
Will Russia test nuclear weapons?
Putin said Russia would consider conducting a similar test if the US conducted a nuclear test.
Putin withdrew Russia's formal ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) by passing a law last year.
Post-Soviet Russia has yet to test nuclear weapons.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, only a handful of countries conducted nuclear weapons tests. Among them, the United States conducted nuclear weapons tests in 1992, China and France in 1996, India and Pakistan in 1998 and North Korea in 2017. The Soviet Union last tested nuclear weapons in 1990.
Russia signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 and formally ratified the treaty in 2000. The United States signed the treaty in 1996 but has yet to formally ratify it.
Who controls nuclear weapons in Russia?
Under Russian law, only the country's president has the power to decide whether to use nuclear weapons. Russia's so-called 'nuclear briefcase' is always with the president. Russia's defense minister and military chief are also believed to have such briefcases.
Essentially, the briefcase is a communication tool that connects the president to his military superiors and then to the rocket force through the highly secretive 'Kazbek' electronic command-and-control network.
Workbench supports another system. Which is called 'Cavage'.
If the decision to launch a nuclear attack is confirmed, Putin will activate his 'dead hand' system. Basically the computer will decide to start the destruction.
A control rocket would direct a nuclear strike from Russia's vast arsenal.
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