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Ukraine COULDN'T use them. Positive control codes were Russian. Manned with Russian crews. Guarded by Russian soldiers. Not happening.
Hell, until the early 1990s, the Ukrainians didn't even know the weapons were there. in 1993 the 20th Air Force commander told me a story about being on a START inspection trip to the Ukraine. He was talking to the locals through an interpreter. They asked why he was there. Told them he was there to inspect one of the SS19 units. Suddenly a flurry of VERY angry Russian between locals and Russian army escort. Russian turns to Gen Parker and says "they're upset because they didn't know we had nuclear vweapons here. Was state secret."
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Not immediately, and I am far from an expert on how the codes work.
but they had the physics packages and the pits. they could have had them with some smart dudes.
but, probably russia would have just flown them out and never relinquished the guards over them one way or the other.
In the chaos, I'm surprised they kept them around long enough. Just strip the warheads off the missiles and truck them over the border.
I'm curious why they didn't get the warheads out immediately.
ETA.
How did the timeline work?
From Independence to the warheads being back in Russian territory?
Why did russia even play any games with sovereignty negotiations and what not? Just momentary diplomatic weakness?