Michael Kofman, director of the CNA Corporation’s Russia Center and a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, explained that Russia still uses its Soviet-era command and control protocols to govern the use of its nuclear arsenal. As part of those procedures, the Russian president is required to authorize a nuclear strike, Kofman said.
“It is not clear if the Russian president can activate the system alone, or if he requires confirmation from the minister of defense,” Kofman told Coffee or Die Magazine. “That is, it’s clear that [launching Russia’s nuclear weapons] requires the president’s authority, but not that this is sufficient.”