Putin Nuclear Briefcase Spotted in China Video

Russian President Vladimir Putin was spotted on Wednesday being accompanied on his trip to Bejing, China, by officers carrying his country's nuclear briefcase.

A video published on X, formerly Twitter, by the Kyiv Post shows Putin surrounded by security personnel following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and followed by two Russian naval officers who are each holding a briefcase. The video ends with the camera slowly zooming in on the portable nuclear hub, known as the "Cheget," as the officers walk by.

Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti first posted the footage of Putin on its Telegram account for Kremlin pool journalists, writing underneath the video, "There are certain suitcases without which no trip of Putin's is complete."

The Russian Cheget, named after a mountain in Russia's Caucasus region, is traditionally carried by a naval officer and is with Putin at all times, much like its American counterpart that does not leave President Joe Biden's side.

Not much is known about Putin's nuclear briefcase, but Newsweek has previously reported that the Cheget doesn't contain a nuclear launch button. Instead, it transmits launch orders to the central military command of Russia's general staff.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.

The sighting comes one day after members of Russia's lower house of parliament voted unanimously to revoke Moscow's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996, prohibits any nuclear explosion during weapon testing or otherwise anywhere in the world.

The Kremlin previously said that it would not resume nuclear weapons testing unless the United States does so first. Washington, unlike Moscow, did not ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban but has adhered to the treaty.

Tensions have grown between the U.S. and Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine last year, with increased concern that Putin may turn to his nuclear arsenal—the largest in the world—to aid in his full-scale invasion. Last week, Putin said that he would rely on nuclear weapons only as a retaliatory measure if another country launched a nuclear attack first or if Russia's territory is threatened.

On Tuesday, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that Moscow was pulling out of the nuclear test ban treaty because of the U.S.'s "irresponsible attitude" to global security, noting that Washington has yet to ratify the treaty.

"In the interests of ensuring the security of our country, we are withdrawing the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," said Volodin on his Telegram channel.

"The Russian Federation will do everything to protect its citizens and to maintain global strategic parity," Volodin added. "For 23 years, we have been waiting for the U.S. to ratify this treaty."

Update 10/18/23, 12:59 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.