The fear of a possible nuclear war is growing as time passes. Supposedly, Russia has the strongest nuclear arsenal. Here’s an account of Russia’s capacities and the possibility of escalation.
What does Russia have in its arsenal?
The fear of a nuclear war is increasing with every second. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed the nation’s strategic forces on high alert. The move came as his forces started embroiling in conflict. He believes that the west is taking unfriendly steps against Russia. Additionally, the Russian defense minister also stated that their nuclear missile forces. This is in addition to the North and Pacific fleets in “enhanced” duty. The design is following Putin’s recent orders.
Currently, Russia has the largest amount of nuclear warheads, with a total of 6,255. The US commands a total of 5,550 whereas China and France have 350 and 290 respectively. Moreover, according to Nobel peace prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Russia spent $8 billion for building and maintaining its nuclear arsenal. Moreover, Russia’s constitution grants the control of these weapons to the President. However, the transmission and authentication of order for its use include the chief-of-staff of armed forces and the defense minister.
Will Russia start a nuclear war?
The question of whether the Russian President will go as far as using nuclear weapons is still unanswered. “What is this “special mode of combat duty of the deterrence forces”? Hard to tell with certainty. But most likely it means that the nuclear command and control system received. This is known as a preliminary command,” said Pavel Podvig. Podvig is one of the leading experts on Russian nuclear forces. “As I understand the way the system works, in peacetime it cannot physically transmit a launch order. As if the circuits were ‘disconnected’. The national command authority can bring the system into a working condition. By connecting the wires, so that a launch order can go through if issued. There is also a protocol that protects the system from decapitation,” he added.
Several people are also wondering if the military will act on the order to start a nuclear war if the order comes. “I don’t think the Russian military elite will cheer at the idea of limited nuclear use in or about Ukraine,” tweeted Kristin Ven Bruusgaard. Bruusgaard is from the Center of International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.