Will Vladimir Putin Launch Nuclear Attack On Ukraine From Belarus?

Military experts are anticipating that the Russian President Vladimir Putin will coordinate a nuclear strike in key areas in Ukraine, with speculations that he may fire the rockets from Belarus. As Russian forces faced disastrous defeat from Ukrainian troops across the frontline, Russia has been flaunting its nuclear arsenal as a show of resilient force. But before Putin can launch his trove of nuclear weapons there are a few procedures he must undergo.

According to The Sun, the Russian leader must go through five steps before his weapons of mass destruction can be fired.

Firstly, Putin must decide if the conditions are met for the use of nuclear weapons. An executive order in 2020 reveals the “extreme” and dire circumstances in which nukes may be used, but only as a “deterrence”.

The Russian Federation deems nukes as defensive weapons and can only be used if the country is threatened by rival nations with similar weapons. The use of such weapons can be confirmed by the Federation’s president, with only 10 minutes needed to process the order down the chain of command.

The next step requires the infamous “Cheget,” the briefcase which contains all the buttons need to issue the deadly order. There are exactly three of these briefcases, one of which stays with the Putin at all times with an armed guard tasked with handling it. The remaining two briefcases are assigned to two other high-ranking officials within the government.

The “Cheget” briefcases are all connected via a communication network called “Kavkas,” which starts the chain reaction of nuclear launches. The “Cheget” was first shown to the world back in 2019, where its contents were revealed on television.

The third step comes after the fancy buttons are pushed in the “Cheget,” however, this does not fire the nukes, but rather greenlights the order to the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov as its head.

Step four is when the general staff receives the launch codes. After the president gives the green light, the launch codes are then transferred to the respective commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to begin the attack.

The fifth and final step is where the “big red button” is pressed and all hell is let loose. Nuclear weapons are not the only option open to Putin, as experts also suggested that the Russian army will open a new front in Ukraine, this time from the north, in Belarus. Belarusian President, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has so far resisted further involvement in the conflict.