What Cheget looks like, the nuclear briefcase with which Vladimir Putin could start World War III

It was October 2023 when The press captured some “rare” images of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin . He was in Beijing, China, attending a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he was filmed. walking with his security guards and two naval officers holding a briefcase in their hands.

As established Reuters it was about two Cheget briefcases which are used to organize a nuclear attack wherever the Russian leader is. And Putin usually carries them with him at all times.

“There are certain suitcases without which no Putin trip is complete” wrote a Kremlin correspondent for the state news agency ESTUARY .

What does this nuclear briefcase look like and what could happen if it were activated by Putin?

A year ago, Tensions between Moscow and Washington were already at their peak in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

NOW, The situation was made worse by US President Joe Biden’s authorization for Ukraine to use its long-range projectiles. with enemy targets on Russian territory.

And in response, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Russian nuclear doctrine and built bomb- and radiation-resistant shelters against nuclear weapons.

It is in this context that The Cheget briefcase is becoming relevant again.

The name “Cheget” comes from Mount Cheget, located in the Kabardino Balkaria region of Russia.

Inside, as revealed by various media, It houses a nuclear button which, when pressed by Putin, would allow him to attack his enemies with nuclear warheads. It also has another button to cancel the operation.

All this, using a communications system called Kavkaz-7 that was created for nuclear emergencies and connects the president with the military responsible for carrying out the order.

The codes are communicated in encrypted form.

According to a document from Nuclear Information Service (NIS) , “The Russian president could sunbathe at his Black Sea resort in Sochi, relax in his country retreat in Zavidovo or sit in the Kremlin (…).”

“But it’s still just a few steps away from the nuclear command system.”

The same report indicates that There are three Russian nuclear briefcases: one original and two copies. The original is the one that accompanies Putin everywhere, while the other two copies belong to the Russian Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff.

Howeveronly the original (that of the president) can give the order to attack . If, for example, the Russian Defense Minister wanted to order a nuclear attack himself, the system would not work, because it would require Putin’s “approval.”

Plus, it’s not like pressing the button automatically fires the nuclear missiles. The system sends the order and it is the high-ranking military personnel who must give the launch instruction.

As established The New York Times , The new Russian nuclear weapons doctrine, published on November 19, implements two important aspects which “shows” how Vladimir Putin wants to dissuade the United States using its nuclear arsenal, to stop supporting Ukraine.

Until 2020, Russian doctrine specifies four scenarios justifying the use of Russian nuclear weapons:

• The use of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies.
• Data that shows the launch of ballistic missiles directed against Russia or its allies.
• Attack critical government or military sites this would harm the response of the country’s nuclear forces.
• The use of conventional weapons against Russia “when the very existence of the State is threatened. »

NOW, In the updated doctrine, two elements have been added:

• The possibility of use nuclear weapons against an armed country that “does not directly launch an attack against Russia, but supports a non-nuclear country” . This point concerns Ukraine and the United States, since the latter is a country with a nuclear arsenal, while Ukraine is not.
• Russia may consider using nuclear weapons in response to attack with conventional weapons not only when there is a “threat to the very existence of the state”, but when there is a “critical threat to the sovereignty of Russia”, a threshold lower than the 2020 doctrine.

However, from the White House, the position regarding the doctrinal change was the same as always. According to a press release published by the National Security Council the United States government has assured that They observed “no change in Russia’s nuclear posture,” so they decided to downplay it.

As established by different media in 2023, Pressing the nuclear button on the Cheget briefcase would lead to the following five steps:

First of all. Vladimir Putin “decides” to use nuclear warheads. Usually the reason is to “deter” the enemy.

Second. Putin uses the Cheget briefcase, inserts a flash card and presses the launch button to initiate the attack.

Third. Thanks to the briefcase, the order is transmitted to the general staff, who begin to prepare the nuclear attack.

Bedroom. The launch codes are sent to the high-ranking military personnel in charge of the weapons to launch the nuclear attack.

“Nuclear deterrence aims to ensure that a potential adversary understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies. » said Dmitry S. Peskov, spokesman for the Russian president.