I think most of it is on Wikipedia. Ukraine really tried to hang on to the nukes but iirc after several years they couldn’t make them work because they didn’t have the command codes.
Even if they had been able to break the codes they’d have had their work cut out for them putting them back into working order, performing maintenance, aiming and launching them etc.
And after they managed all they’d have to deal with the fact these are ICMBs, they have a minimum range of 5000km. The only part of Russia they could’ve hit was Siberia.
Eventually they figured it’s worth trading a bunch of useless weapons for a good deal with the West – who were the most interested in decomissioning those weapons because like I said they were aimed at them not at Russia.
Cold War ICMBs can’t hit Ukraine. They were designed to reach the US and some of them Western Europe, not what was at the time Soviet Union.
It’s one of the reasons Ukraine gave up its nuclear missiles, they were useless as a deterrent against Russia.
Oh really? Have any sources? That is fascinating. I always wondered why anyone would sign the Budapest agreement. Or whatever it was called.
I think most of it is on Wikipedia. Ukraine really tried to hang on to the nukes but iirc after several years they couldn’t make them work because they didn’t have the command codes.
Even if they had been able to break the codes they’d have had their work cut out for them putting them back into working order, performing maintenance, aiming and launching them etc.
And after they managed all they’d have to deal with the fact these are ICMBs, they have a minimum range of 5000km. The only part of Russia they could’ve hit was Siberia.
Eventually they figured it’s worth trading a bunch of useless weapons for a good deal with the West – who were the most interested in decomissioning those weapons because like I said they were aimed at them not at Russia.
Very interesting thank you. I’ll go read the wiki on it