Russia has almost finished building a secure nuclear command and control post capable of withstanding a nuclear strike, President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday.
Speaking at one of a series of military-themed meetings, Putin emphasized the need for control systems to continue working in combat conditions “even in the event of a nuclear strike.”
“I was told that the creation of an absolutely secure facility for controlling strategic nuclear forces, among others, is at the final stage of completion,” Putin told senior Russian military and defense industry officials.
“Its safety margin will be exceptionally high,” he added.
According to the Kremlin’s readout of the meeting, Putin urged the officials to continue upgrading the nuclear command and control systems “no matter how modern and advanced they may be today.”
“We need to think about what happens tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, Putin said Russia has sent the United States proposals on a “new security equation” with the prospect of the two nuclear powers’ last major arms control deal expiring without extension in February 2021.
Moscow was willing to sign a five-year extension to the New START without conditions while Washington wanted to include China in negotiations, positions that were unacceptable to either side.
Reports have identified a Cold War-era nuclear weapons control system alternatively called “Perimeter” and “Mertvaya Ruka” (Russian for “dead hand”) that would automatically trigger ICBM launches in case of a nuclear attack on Russia.
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