By Smartencyclopedia with agencies
In a rare and striking moment, Russian President Vladimir Putin was captured in footage from Beijing, flanked by officers carrying the infamous nuclear briefcase, a device that could potentially be used to initiate a nuclear strike.
Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Putin was filmed walking to another meeting, enveloped by an entourage of security personnel, with two Russian naval officers, dressed in uniform, each carrying a briefcase. The camera zoomed in on one of the briefcases, shedding light on this seldom-seen piece of equipment.
Russia’s nuclear briefcase, known as “Cheget” (named after Mount Cheget in the Caucasus Mountains), is traditionally entrusted to a naval officer. This briefcase is always in close proximity to the Russian president, although it is rarely seen in public.
The state news agency RIA’s Kremlin correspondents remarked, “There are certain suitcases without which no trip of Putin’s is complete,” in a post on Telegram accompanying the footage.
In another segment of the video, Putin emerges from a meeting in Beijing, accompanied by the naval officers who are once again filmed at close range. The Russian president even flashes a grin as he descends a staircase.
Notably, the U.S. president also possesses a similar device, known as the “nuclear football.” This satchel contains the codes necessary for the president to authorize a nuclear missile launch in the event they are not at the White House.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington to levels not seen since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Simultaneously, China is actively seeking to enhance its nuclear capabilities to align with its status as an emerging global superpower.
On Tuesday, Russia’s parliament took a significant step toward potentially withdrawing from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the country’s top lawmaker warned the United States that Moscow might even abandon the treaty altogether.
In essence, the nuclear briefcase serves as a secure communication tool connecting the president to the military’s highest-ranking officials, ultimately enabling communication with rocket forces through the top-secret “Kazbek” electronic command-and-control network. This system, in turn, supports another known as “Kavkaz.”
The Russian defense minister, currently Sergei Shoigu, also possesses a nuclear briefcase, and it’s possible that the chief of the general staff, currently Valery Gerasimov, may have one as well.
Footage from Russia’s Zvezda television channel in 2019 displayed one of these briefcases, complete with an array of buttons. In a section called “command,” there are two buttons, a white “launch” button and a red “cancel” button. Activation of the briefcase requires a special flashcard, according to Zvezda.
Putin’s visit to Beijing marks his second known trip outside the former Soviet Union since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022, underscoring the critical geopolitical challenges facing the world today.