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0 pointslesuorac3y ago0 comments

I mean Ukrainians aren't idiots, I'm sure they could've either cracked any necessary codes or worked around their need in the ~31 years since 1991 (Ukraine's independence).

I suspect it would be easiest to just take the nuclear material out of the unusable missiles and construct a different weapon using it. Russia is adjacent to them so any sort of nuclear weapon launch-able from an artillery or plane still sounds useful.

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s1artibartfast3y ago

It would have been an act of war. Ukraine would have had to fight the Russian army protecting the nukes in Ukraine.

Despite the breakup of the USSR, I don't think Russia would have let that happen.

For comparison, How do you think that the USA would react if Turkey tried to size control of US nukes housed there?

mambru3y ago

Not the same situation. Soviet nukes were soviet, with good chunks of them buit in Ukraine.

See for instance where that was built: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-36_(missile)

Also, Chernobyl.

s1artibartfast3y ago

I think you are missing my point. The Nukes were built by the soviets, but after the breakup, Russia had control of them in Ukraine. In order for Ukraine to take full possession, they would have to fight through Russians at military bases.

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type03y ago

> It would have been an act of war.

No it wouldn't.

They were pressured by the US to give up Soviet nukes. Codes are easy to fix, but nukes need service and are expensive to keep so it was as much of sparing measure than anything.

s1artibartfast3y ago

I think you are missing my point. The Nukes were built by the soviets, but after the breakup, Russia had control of them in Ukraine. In order for Ukraine to take full possession of the nukes in their country, they would have to fight through Russians at military bases.

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0 pointslesuorac3y ago0 comments

I mean Ukrainians aren't idiots, I'm sure they could've either cracked any necessary codes or worked around their need in the ~31 years since 1991 (Ukraine's independence).

0 comments

s1artibartfast3y ago

It would have been an act of war. Ukraine would have had to fight the Russian army protecting the nukes in Ukraine.

Despite the breakup of the USSR, I don't think Russia would have let that happen.

For comparison, How do you think that the USA would react if Turkey tried to size control of US nukes housed there?

mambru3y ago

Not the same situation. Soviet nukes were soviet, with good chunks of them buit in Ukraine.

See for instance where that was built: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-36_(missile)

Also, Chernobyl.

s1artibartfast3y ago

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type03y ago

> It would have been an act of war.

No it wouldn't.

They were pressured by the US to give up Soviet nukes. Codes are easy to fix, but nukes need service and are expensive to keep so it was as much of sparing measure than anything.

s1artibartfast3y ago

1 more reply

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