The Russian Federation

Introduction: Russia inherited its arsenal from the Soviet Union, the second state to acquire nuclear weapons. The Soviet nuclear program was spurred by the success of the US nuclear program, and on August 29, 1949 Moscow conducted a nuclear weapon test of its own. On November 22, 1955, the Soviet Union conducted its first hydrogen bomb (fusion) test. The country acceded to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a nuclear-weapon state (NWS) in 1968.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, nuclear warheads remained on the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Under the terms of the Lisbon Protocol to the NPT these were transferred to Russia.

It is estimated that the Russian Federation possesses 4,830 nuclear warheads in its operational stockpile, including 2,790 strategic warheads and 2,050 nonstrategic warheads. An additional 8,150 warheads are estimated to be in reserve or awaiting dismantlement, for a total inventory of approximately 13,000 nuclear warheads.

Source documents:

• Proliferation: Russian Case Studies. Hearing Before The Subcommittee On International Security, Proliferation, And Federal Services Of The Committee On Governmental Affairs United States Senate One Hundred Fifth Congress First Session. June 5, 1997.
• Arms Control and Proliferation Profile: Russia. Fact Sheet, November 2007.
• Approving Regulations on Organizing the System of State Accounting and Control of Radioactive Substances and Radioactive Wastes. Decree No. 1298 of the Government of the Russian Federation, 11 October 1997.
• On Controls Over the Export to Iraq of Dual-Use Commodities and Technologies and Other Facilities Subject to the International Mechanism for Permanent Oversight and Controls. Decree no. 1403 -- 07 of the Government of the Russian Federation, November 1997.
• Concept of the System of for State Material Control and Accounting (MC&A) of Nuclear Material. Decree No. 1205, October 1996.
• Rules of Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, Nuclear Facilities and Stores of Nuclear Materials. Decree No. 264, 7March 1997.