Russia has the largest or one of the largest nuclear stockpiles in the world, with 3,000 to over 5,000 warheads. Concerns include the potential for missing warheads and appropriated materials. Russia is authorized to maintain nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is committed to non-proliferation. The country’s military doctrine allows for the use of tactical nuclear weapons if necessary for self-defense or defense of an ally. Efforts are being made to minimize the possibility of nuclear war.
Russian nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons built or obtained by Russia and stored in Russian military facilities. Depending on which estimate is believed, Russia has the largest nuclear stockpile in the world, or one of the largest, possessing between 3,000 and over 5,000 nuclear warheads that could potentially be deployed alongside nuclear materials and tactical weapons. There are a number of specific concerns about Russia’s nuclear program that make it a topic of global concern.
Along with many other nations, Russia began exploring nuclear weapons during World War II, successfully testing its first bomb in 1949. Russia’s successful development and testing of the bomb added fuel to the fire of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, with nations like the United States responding by accelerating the pace of their weapons program. Fears of nuclear war began to arise, leading to the development of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Russia ratified in 1968.
Russia is one of the few governments authorized to maintain nuclear weapons under the treaty, although, like other signatories, Russia is committed to non-proliferation, working to reduce the number of such weapons it possesses and focusing on peaceful applications of nuclear energy . The number of Russian nuclear weapons has declined dramatically since its 20th century peak.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian nuclear weapons became a concern as global governments feared that political instability could lead to missing warheads, appropriated material, and other security concerns. Former Soviet states store nuclear materials while in Russia itself nuclear weapons and Russian nuclear materials are not always ideally protected. Besides posing a security threat to Russia, this could also become a global problem if these materials fall into the wrong hands such as terrorist organizations.
According to Russian military doctrine, Russia will use tactical nuclear weapons if it deems it necessary to deal with a threat to Russia or one of its allies. The technology behind Russia’s nuclear weapons is quite diverse, and this doctrine would seem to indicate that Russia has not ruled out the possibility of limited nuclear warfare in the interests of self-defense or the defense of an ally. Governments and organizations concerned about the potential political, social and literal fallout of nuclear war have worked to minimize the possibility of an event where Russia might feel pressured to use its nuclear arsenal.
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