Russia's automated nuclear retaliation system
What's the "Dead Hand," Russia's last resort system if Putin and his top officials are killed?
It's an automated defense system that guarantees nuclear retaliation even in the absence of the Russian leadership, designed to ensure the survival of the state in the event of a devastating attack.
It's also an automated defense mechanism that allows Russia to respond to a nuclear attack even in the absence of its president or military leaders. Developed during the Cold War under the name "Perimeter," the system has been the subject of speculation and mystery, particularly after the fall of the Soviet Union and its continued existence in today's Russia.
The creation of this system was in response to the possibility that a US nuclear first strike would disintegrate the USSR's chain of command, leaving Russia vulnerable. Perimeter was designed to automatically launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, without human intervention, if the country was confirmed to have suffered a devastating nuclear attack.
Although Moscow has never officially confirmed its existence, in 2011, the commander of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Sergey Karakaev, acknowledged its operation to the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, claiming that Russia could destroy the United States in less than 30 minutes.
(MH with AmBar/Source: Novaya Gazeta/Photo: Pixabay)