Nuclear suitcase (Russia). Nuclear suitcase: interesting facts Nuclear suitcase

We often joke about a suitcase with a button that you can press to lift the world into the air. Nuclear weapons are a symbol of power, a weapon of fear. Of course, everything on the sidelines is a state secret, but there is also free information about that very suitcase.

So, the nuclear suitcase is a means of communication with the general staff and command posts of the strategic missile forces. By clicking on the button, you will, as it were, send an SMS, but its content and recipient cannot be selected. So, subject to the threat of a missile attack, one movement will report what is happening using the encrypted code of the Strategic Missile Forces command post. In general, there is not one suitcase, there are several of them, the decision to start the system can only be made by pressing all the buttons at once.

If a country has nuclear weapons, then its leader definitely has such a suitcase. For example, in the USA it is not a suitcase at all, but a bag, there can be many such options. Initially, the bags of the Americans were more like a baseball, then they were nicknamed Nuclear Football. In terms of functioning, this ball is practically no different from a suitcase. There is one “but”, inside the ball there is a titanium box, closed with a combination lock. Nuclear Football is opened with a plastic card, it is called a sanctioning card. Another nuance - in the American bag is a 30-page manual for using the device. There is a version that George Bush reached this instruction when the attack on the twin towers took place.

The domestic nuclear suitcase is called the Cheget complex, it is the Kazbek automated control system for strategic nuclear forces. By the way, our suitcase does not show any external signs, it looks like an ordinary diplomat. In fact, a suitcase or bag is a remote control. There are always trained officers next to this device, they know how to properly wear and protect it.

In Russia, an officer of the troops, whose rank is not lower than lieutenant colonel, watches over the suitcase. By the way, this employee is dressed in the uniform of the navy. As far as America is concerned, the bag can only be carried by an officer who has access to a high level of secrecy, this is called the "white Yankee". A person who carries a suitcase always has a weapon, and the bag is fastened to his arm. In the event of a threat, the "carrier" of the nuclear suitcase can shoot without warning. If we talk about Russia, then one suitcase is with the president, one is with the chief of the general staff, and the third is with the minister of defense.

The very first disturbing suitcase appeared during the Cold War, it was owned by US President Eisenhower. Kennedy turned the ball into a bag, this happened during the Caribbean crisis, this is exactly the moment when nuclear war was on the verge. What was "before"? And before, such decisions could only be made directly in the White House and the Kremlin, which significantly slows down the process and thereby increases the danger.

The Russian nuclear suitcase was created under Brezhnev, but Andropov was the first to own the button. In general, the phrase "nuclear suitcase" came from the press, as the journalists called the device. If they had made a direct translation from English of Nuclear Football and President's Emergency Satchel, something frivolous would have come out. In order not to call such respected equipment a ball and a knapsack, the name of the suitcase has taken root. Now the nuclear suitcase is transferred as if it were some kind of scepter or staff. When it happens the inauguration of the head of state, he receives the same diplomat.

By the way, on January 25, 1995, Russia's nuclear suitcase was activated. This incident was associated with the launch of the Norwegian Black Brant XII rocket. The fact is that the trajectory of the weapon is very similar to the American Trident. As we can see, nothing terrible came of this, but it could have been a completely different - a sad scenario.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

nuclear suitcase- a device that stores codes for activating the nuclear arsenal of the Russian Federation, which is always in the possession of the highest political and military leaders of the state. Through the "nuclear suitcase" communication with the Strategic Missile Forces is carried out.

Kazbek system

The system was put into operation in 1983 . The first leader of the USSR, who began to be accompanied by officers with a "nuclear suitcase", was in 1984 Konstantin Chernenko.

"Nuclear suitcases" (plus reserve) are in the possession of the Supreme Commander, Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff. The key to the "YaCh" is kept by the operating officer. The system will only be activated if coded acknowledgments are received from two of them. Reserve "YCH" are stored in a designated location.

Despite the fact that the officer wearing the "suitcase" belongs to the signal troops, he is always dressed in the uniform of a naval officer. This is done so that it can be quickly and easily found with a glance in a group of accompanying persons. The “suitcase” itself, in order not to attract attention, has the appearance of an ordinary diplomat briefcase.

The case is made by an American company Samsonite .

Transfer of the “nuclear briefcase” in Russia

• On December 25, 1991 at 19:38, USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, before an appeal on television about the resignation of presidential powers, handed over the “nuclear suitcase” to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, after which the flag over the Kremlin was changed from Soviet to Russian.
• It was officially reported that in 1996, during a heart operation, Boris Yeltsin handed over the "nuclear suitcase" to Prime Minister Chernomyrdin. However, as the former deputy head of the Presidential Security Service, Gennady Zakharov, said, Boris Yeltsin did not hand over the “nuclear suitcase” to Viktor Chernomyrdin. The "porter" officers simply sat in the lobby of the hospital, and as soon as Boris Nikolayevich came to his senses, the "nuclear suitcase" was brought into his room.
• December 31, 1999 Yeltsin, announcing on television his resignation from the post of President of the Russian Federation, appointing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Acting President of the Russian Federation, including handing him a "nuclear suitcase".
• On May 7, 2008, the "nuclear suitcase" was handed over by the then current Russian President Vladimir Putin to the next President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, on the day of his inauguration.
• On May 7, 2012, the “nuclear suitcase” was handed over by the then current President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev to the newly elected President of Russia Vladimir Putin on the day of his inauguration, the live broadcast of which did not involve the broadcast of the transmission of the device on television.

Russia's nuclear suitcase in art

• Film "Get Smart"
• Film "Salt"
• Hitman 2 game
• Battlefield 3 game

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An excerpt characterizing the Nuclear Suitcase (Russia)

- And whose is this? she said, turning to her governess and looking into the face of her daughter, who represented the Kazan Tatar. - It seems that someone from the Rostovs. Well, you, mister hussar, in which regiment do you serve? she asked Natasha. “Give the Turk some marshmallows,” she said to the bartender who was scolding, “this is not forbidden by their law.
Sometimes, looking at the strange but funny steps performed by the dancers, who decided once and for all that they were dressed up, that no one would recognize them and therefore were not embarrassed, Pelageya Danilovna covered herself with a scarf, and her whole fat body shook from the irrepressible kind, old woman's laughter . - Sachinet is mine, Sachinet is mine! she said.
After Russian dances and round dances, Pelageya Danilovna united all the servants and gentlemen together, in one large circle; they brought a ring, a rope and a ruble, and general games were arranged.
After an hour, all the costumes were wrinkled and upset. Cork mustaches and eyebrows smeared over sweaty, flushed, and cheerful faces. Pelageya Danilovna began to recognize the mummers, admired how well the costumes were made, how they went especially to the young ladies, and thanked everyone for having so amused her. The guests were invited to dine in the living room, and in the hall they ordered refreshments for the courtyards.
- No, guessing in the bathhouse, that's scary! said the old girl who lived with the Melyukovs at dinner.
- From what? asked the eldest daughter of the Melyukovs.
- Don't go, it takes courage...
"I'll go," Sonya said.
- Tell me, how was it with the young lady? - said the second Melyukova.
- Yes, just like that, one young lady went, - said the old girl, - she took a rooster, two appliances - as it should, she sat down. She sat, only hears, suddenly rides ... with bells, with bells, a sleigh drove up; hears, goes. Enters completely in the form of a human, as an officer, he came and sat down with her at the device.
- BUT! Ah! ... - Natasha screamed, rolling her eyes in horror.
“But how does he say that?”
- Yes, like a man, everything is as it should be, and he began, and began to persuade, and she should have kept him talking to the roosters; and she made money; – only zarobela and closed hands. He grabbed her. It's good that the girls came running here ...
- Well, what to scare them! said Pelageya Danilovna.
“Mother, you yourself guessed ...” said the daughter.
- And how do they guess in the barn? Sonya asked.
- Yes, at least now, they will go to the barn, and they will listen. What do you hear: hammering, knocking - bad, but pouring bread - this is good; and then it happens...
- Mom, tell me what happened to you in the barn?
Pelageya Danilovna smiled.
“Yes, I forgot…” she said. “After all, you won’t go, will you?”
- No, I'll go; Pepageya Danilovna, let me go, I'll go, - said Sonya.
- Well, if you're not afraid.
- Louise Ivanovna, can I have one? Sonya asked.
Whether they played a ring, a rope or a ruble, whether they talked, as now, Nikolai did not leave Sonya and looked at her with completely new eyes. It seemed to him that today only for the first time, thanks to that cork mustache, he fully recognized her. Sonya really was cheerful that evening, lively and good, such as Nikolay had never seen her before.
“So that’s what she is, but I’m a fool!” he thought, looking at her sparkling eyes and a happy, enthusiastic smile, dimpled from under her moustache, which he had not seen before.
"I'm not afraid of anything," said Sonya. - Can I do it now? She got up. Sonya was told where the barn was, how she could stand silently and listen, and they gave her a fur coat. She threw it over her head and looked at Nikolai.
"What a beauty this girl is!" he thought. “And what have I been thinking about until now!”
Sonya went out into the corridor to go to the barn. Nikolai hurriedly went to the front porch, saying that he was hot. Indeed, the house was stuffy from the crowded people.
It was the same unmoving cold outside, the same month, only it was even lighter. The light was so strong and there were so many stars in the snow that I didn’t want to look at the sky, and real stars were invisible. It was black and dull in the sky, it was fun on the ground.
"I'm a fool, a fool! What have you been waiting for until now? Nikolay thought, and, running away to the porch, he walked around the corner of the house along the path that led to the back porch. He knew that Sonya would go here. In the middle of the road stood stacked fathoms of firewood, there was snow on them, a shadow fell from them; through them and from their side, intertwining, the shadows of old bare lindens fell on the snow and the path. The path led to the barn. The chopped wall of the barn and the roof, covered with snow, as if carved from some kind of precious stone, gleamed in the moonlight. A tree cracked in the garden, and again everything was completely quiet. The chest, it seemed, was breathing not air, but some kind of eternally young strength and joy.
From the girl's porch, feet pounded on the steps, a loud creak creaked on the last one, on which snow had been applied, and the voice of the old girl said:
“Straight, straight, here on the path, young lady. Just don't look back.
“I’m not afraid,” Sonya’s voice answered, and along the path, in the direction of Nikolai, Sonya’s legs screeched, whistled in thin shoes.
Sonya walked wrapped in a fur coat. She was already two steps away when she saw him; she saw him, too, not in the same way as she knew and of whom she had always been a little afraid. He was in a woman's dress with tangled hair and a happy and new smile for Sonya. Sonya quickly ran up to him.
"Quite different, and still the same," Nikolai thought, looking at her face, all illuminated by moonlight. He put his hands under the fur coat that covered her head, hugged her, pressed her to him and kissed her lips, over which there were mustaches and which smelled of burnt cork. Sonya kissed him right in the middle of her lips and, holding out her small hands, took his cheeks on both sides.
“Sonya!… Nicolas!…” they only said. They ran to the barn and returned each from their own porch.

When everyone drove back from Pelageya Danilovna, Natasha, who always saw and noticed everything, arranged accommodation in such a way that Louise Ivanovna and she sat in the sleigh with Dimmler, and Sonya sat with Nikolai and the girls.

The other day, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reminded that he has a "red button" on his desk to launch nuclear missiles. The head of the American White House, Donald Trump, did not remain in debt and replied that his "red button" is larger and more powerful.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the "Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times." Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

However, you need to understand that the “red button” is rather a figurative expression. the site compared the necessary procedures for the use of nuclear weapons in different countries, or rather what is known about this from open sources.

United Kingdom

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said last year that the country could launch a preemptive nuclear strike if necessary. In the arsenal of London are UGM-133 Trident II nuclear missiles, which are placed on submarines. The symbolic "red button" can be pressed by the prime minister, but he needs good reasons to do so.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May. Photo: Financial Times

Lord Charles Guthrie, former Chief of the General Staff and Commander of all the British Armed Forces, said that nuclear weapons deserve the highest defense status. Only the prime minister of the country can give an order for its use, but if the chief of the General Staff decides that the politician is insane, then the order will not be executed.

“You have to understand that the prime minister only tells the chief of staff what to do, and the sailors in the Atlantic press the button.”

China

On the whole, little is known about China's nuclear program, so it is not completely clear who can give the order to launch missiles. After Xi Jinping took office, the missile forces went through several transformations until they became a separate branch of the military in 2015 along with the ground forces, navy and air force.

In peacetime, China practices keeping nuclear warheads separate from delivery vehicles. The final decision on the use of nuclear weapons most likely rests with the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The President of the People's Republic of China should consult with him before making a decision on the use of nuclear weapons.

Immediately before the launch, the military on the ground must receive an order from two bodies at once: the Central Military Council of the PRC and the General Staff.

France

In France, the president has a very high level of control over the republic's administrative and defense policy. The president is also the head of the French Armed Forces, in fact, he is the only one who can initiate the use of nuclear weapons, for which the country is also called the "nuclear monarchy".

Emmanuel Macron, President of France. Photo: panorama.pub

In making a decision on the use of nuclear weapons, the chief of the military headquarters of the president of the republic and the head of the defense headquarters act as advisers to the head of state.

India

In India, a special NCA (Nuclear Command Authority) structure, the Nuclear Command Administration, has been created to manage nuclear weapons. This is not only a military, but also a military-political governing body.

The image is illustrative. Photo: focus.ua

He is responsible for nuclear planning in the interests of defense, for the adoption and implementation of the decision to use nuclear weapons to repel external aggression. The head of the NCA is the Prime Minister of India, he is also the first to decide on the use of nuclear weapons.

Israel

Israel has never officially confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, according to a number of estimates, Israel ranks sixth in terms of the number of nuclear warheads in the world.

The image is illustrative. Photo: fresher.ru

According to a 2017 report by the British American Security Information Council and the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS), Israeli leaders are unable to unilaterally initiate the use of nuclear weapons. This requires coordination with other senior military and political officials.

North Korea

The nuclear command of North Korea is a secret with seven seals. There is practically no information about this in the public domain.

Kim Chen In. Photo: Reuters

The Union of Concerned Scientists believe that, given the strong personalization of power, the decision on a nuclear strike can only be made personally by Kim Jong-un.

Pakistan

The National Command Authority is responsible for developing the doctrine and use of nuclear weapons in Pakistan. This structure is closely connected with the leadership of the country - the chairman of the council is the prime minister of the country, who is informed about the development and deployment of new warheads.

National Command Authority. Photo: dawn.com

In general, although nuclear weapons are exclusively under the control of the army, the President and Prime Minister influence the decision to use them.

Russia

The prerogative to order the use of nuclear weapons in this country is assigned to the head of state. If the president fails for any reason, there will be two more nuclear suitcases left, with which you can give the order to launch missiles.

In addition to the President, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff have them. To bring a nuclear weapon into action, a coded confirmation from two nuclear suitcases is enough.

The image is illustrative. Photo: dokwar.ru

There is also a "Perimeter" system - in case the entire leadership of the country died as a result of aggression. It is able to bring the team not only to silo-based missiles, but also to missile submarines equipped with nuclear weapons, control posts of the Air Force, Navy and Strategic Missile Forces, aircraft of naval and long-range missile-carrying aviation.

As a rule, not much is said about this weapon of retaliation. But sometimes the information gets into the media. For example, in December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the system was on alert.

USA

During the Cold War, Soviet missiles took only 25 minutes to reach the United States. Therefore, the Americans built a sensor system capable of detecting an approaching threat as early as possible.

Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters

It takes about ten minutes for the Americans to launch nuclear missiles for a nuclear retaliatory strike. Considering the tight deadlines for response, the prerogative of making a decision on a nuclear strike has been given to the president.

If such a decision is made, then the president and assistant should consider the options available and choose the appropriate one. After the decision is made, the assistant to the president contacts the Pentagon or, if the first strike has already been delivered to the United States, with the flying command post - the “doomsday plane”.

On the border of two neighboring regions of Ukraine - Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad - there is a unique Museum of Strategic Missile Forces. In the past, this museum was the starting point of a missile division for an entire army.

Almost 11 years ago, on October 30, 2001, the last silo launcher of the RS-22 intercontinental ballistic missile (according to NATO classification SS-24 Scalpel) in Ukraine was destroyed by explosives, and the central combat starting position of the command post of the 46th Missile Division 43 th Rocket Army with ground equipment converted into a museum.

"If a few years ago I had dared to take a walk through the territory of the missile unit with a camera and a recording device, - writes a correspondent of one of the magazines , - then in the best case my act would be punishable for espionage, and in the worst case, I would be under a voltage of 3000 volts or a machine-gun burst of sentries. But now times are different: the rocket men no longer have secrets, just as there is no 43rd Army. Only the Museum of Strategic Missile Forces (RVSP) remained "alive" - ​​a silent witness to the former nuclear combat power of Ukraine, from which all of Europe, the USA and NATO trembled ... "

As a legacy from the USSR, Ukraine received the world's third largest nuclear arsenal: more than a hundred intercontinental ballistic missiles with powerful nuclear warheads.

There is an open exhibition in front of the museum entrance. Here you can see the "skeleton" of rocket engines and understand how powder boosters work. All cut and exposed mock-ups were on combat duty in the past, and this is their special value.

R-36M2, SS-18 Satan - the famous most powerful nuclear missile that haunted the Americans. The main advantage of the rocket is the ability to launch, despite any opposition. Even a direct hit by an enemy missile on the mine did not destroy it.

The SS-18 missile silo has an ultra-high protection against the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. The rocket itself also has enhanced protection against gamma radiation and electromagnetic pulses. In case of damage to the electronics, the system switched to the control of pneumatic understudies. The rocket consists of two stages and is capable of covering double the distance from Moscow to Washington, which is 15,000 kilometers. Almost the entire takeoff weight is fuel - more than 200 tons.

In front of the command post is a whole position of fortifications. The first protection is a warning barrier with a special mesh. The more you move in it, the more confused you become. Then a radio beam around the territory. Crossing it, you turn on the alarm. If you are lucky enough to overcome it, you should try to get past the capacitive sensor. A field with a certain capacitance is formed around the sensor, getting into which, we violate it. It is almost impossible to fool him. For dessert, you get a high-voltage boom. 800 volts on the first grid and 3000 volts on the second if you successfully crossed the first one. If you were dressed in a rubber suit, crawled through the voltage protection and are still alive, a minefield and a machine-gun pillbox will be a surprise for you. Even with an agreement with the machine gunner so that he does not shoot at you, it is difficult to get around this protection, because the machine gun can be controlled remotely, and to get to the guards, you need to go through a separate tunnel: their fortification does not contain doors. The entrance to the tunnel is shot through by the same pillbox.

Having overcome the security, you can get to the parking lot of tractors and the covers of the launch shafts. It was here that rockets were delivered and lowered underground by special machines. Now this technique plays the role of museum exhibits, quietly rusting.

The command post is also underground. Exactly the same shaft, but instead of a rocket, special residential and technical modules of 12 compartments, as for astronauts. The system hangs on special shock absorbers to dampen seismic shocks from the outside.

The destruction of the mines did not go smoothly, as desired: it was not possible to blow them up either the first time or the second one either. And after the next explosions led to a conflict with the locals, they decided to use waterjet cutting against thick high-alloy steel. Hired German specialists at the expense of funds from the US Department of Defense turned out to be so expensive for Ukrainians that some of the mines were destroyed in an old-fashioned way: autogenous and sledgehammers.

For the life support of the command post, there was a whole system of refrigerators, compressors, fans and other devices. There are even refrigerating chambers that freeze tens of tons of ice in reserve. This is done in order to cool all modules and electronics on combat duty, because access to the outside world is completely blocked, and only books remain about fresh air and clear skies. There is enough air for a month and a half.

You can get into the mine through a special guarded tunnel. As secret as the base itself. At the end, another guard and "light" hermetic doors to the elevator are waiting.

The control center is located in the 11th compartment, this is the second block from the bottom. In combat mode, three officers were nervous here, and in peacetime two were bored.

Even in normal mode, all missiles were in full readiness for launch. Two officers, by simultaneously turning their very hidden keys, gave the command to the automatics for the pre-launch mode. Then special codes for the computer, pressing the red burning buttons and the last - "start". Automation is still working, preserved especially for tourists, you can even simulate the launch of a nuclear missile. But the last chain is interrupted: there is no rocket. In all other respects, any Soviet color music can envy the flashing of bulbs and the cod of a relay.

During the change of post, the officers could rest in the 12th residential compartment. There are really very few places. However, in addition to any safes and a TV, there was also a strategic microwave. It is curious that, according to the former officer, in pre-Gorbachev times, vodka was also included in the ration kit. Of course, you couldn't drink it. But together with a pistol, after the destruction of the whole world, the officers could fulfill their last decision ...