Russia's "DEAD HAND" Protocol
- Core Insights Advisory Services
- Jul 31
- 5 min read
Source: 1 Confidential Source and Military.com
Date: July 31, 2025
Russia's 'Dead Hand' Is a Soviet-Built Nuclear Doomsday Device
As of now July 29th, there is no confirmation that Russia's "Dead Hand" system has been activated. The system, a Cold War-era semi-automated nuclear command-and-control mechanism, was recently brought into the spotlight when Russian official Dmitry Medvedev referenced it in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about Russia and India's "dead economies".
Medvedev's comments were seen as a warning about the potential for automatic retaliation in the event of an attack on Russian leadership, though the system's existence and operational status remain subjects of debate.
Dead Hand System: A Cold War-era nuclear command system designed to automatically launch a retaliatory strike if Russia's leadership is destroyed, though its exact operational status and capabilities are unclear.
As of July 31, 2025, that has changed. Russia has now activated "Dead Hand".
More details about Dead Hand:
A lot of great technology was developed during the Cold War. Things like GPS, the internet and microchips were all developed as part of the arms-race tech boom. Unfortunately, so was the Novichok nerve agent, the world's largest nuclear weapon and Russia's doomsday device, just to name a few.
You read that right. Like something out of one of the worst James Bond movies, the Soviet Union developed a world-ending mechanism that would launch all of its nuclear weapons without any command from an actual human.
Russia currently has an estimated 1,600 deployed tactical nuclear weapons, with another 2,400 strategic nuclear weapons tied to intercontinental ballistic missiles. This makes Russia the largest nuclear power in the world. All of these weapons are tied into the Perimeter, an automatic nuclear weapons control system.
In a crisis that might mean a first strike from the United States, high-ranking government officials or military commanders could activate the Perimeter. Perimeter would guarantee that the Soviet Union (and now, Russia) could respond even if its entire armed forces were wiped out.
Once switched on, the Perimeter system can launch the entire Russian nuclear arsenal in response to a nuclear attack. It was part of the Cold War doctrine of mutually assured destruction, a means of deterring nuclear attacks by ensuring the side who initiated a first strike also would be annihilated.
Called "Dead Hand" in the West, the theory is that a command and control system measures communications on military frequencies, radiation levels, air pressure, heat and short-term seismic disturbances. If the measurement points to a nuclear attack, the Perimeter begins a sequence that would end in the firing of all ICBMs in the Soviet (now, Russian) arsenal.
Perimeter would launch a command rocket, tipped with a radio warhead that transmits launch orders to Russian nuclear silos, even with the presence of radio jamming. The rocket would fly across the entire length of the country. After a number of test launches to prove the viability of such a command rocket, the Perimeter system went online in 1985.
The Soviet Union never confirmed that such a system ever existed, but Russian Strategic Missile Forces Gen. Sergey Karakaev confirmed it to a Russian newspaper in 2011, saying the U.S. could be destroyed in 30 minutes. Russian state media outlets suggest the system was upgraded to include radar early warning systems and Russia's new hypersonic missiles.
In the United States, similar technologies were developed. Seismic and radiation sensors are used to monitor parts of the U.S. and the world for nuclear explosions and other activity, but the U.S. military never created an automatic trigger for its arsenal. Instead, it ensured that American humans with the ability and authority to launch a second strike would survive a first strike.
Since the Perimeter is reportedly still active, the danger of an automatic, computer-generated nuclear strike still exists. Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Russia's nuclear weapons on high alert, he might have taken Russia's doomsday device on notice as well.
Russia Mobile Nukes
Russia continues to conduct drills with its mobile nuclear missile launchers, including the Yars and systems, as part of its strategic missile forces' operations. These exercises involve moving the missile systems over long distances, practicing camouflage, and deployment, highlighting Russia's emphasis on the mobility and survivability of its nuclear arsenal. The Yars missile, in particular, is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of traveling between 2,000 and 10,500 km, with a high degree of accuracy. The Topol-M, another mobile ICBM, is designed to evade missile defense systems and has a range of about 6,800 miles.
Yars (RS-24): A mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of traveling between 2,000 and 10,500 km, with a high degree of accuracy. It can carry multiple nuclear warheads and is part of Russia's strategic missile forces.
Topol-M (RT-2PM2): A mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed to evade missile defense systems. It has a range of about 6,800 miles and is part of Russia's strategic missile forces.
Iskander (9K720): A mobile short-range ballistic missile system with a range of 500 km. It can carry various conventional and nuclear warheads and is used for tactical operations.
Russia's Hypersonic Missiles
Russia has been actively developing and deploying hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles, with recent developments indicating a significant advancement in its military capabilities. The country has tested and deployed several types of hypersonic missiles, including the Avangard, Zircon, and Oreshnik, each with unique characteristics and strategic implications.
Avangard: This hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of traveling at speeds over 20 times the speed of sound, was deployed in 2019. It is designed to evade missile defense systems through its maneuverability and high speed.
Sources say Russia's hypersonic missiles can go up to mach 26.
One missile can hold twelve 25 megaton nuclear warheads that can change directions and avoid a counter missile. Each MIRV can target it's own city. Hence, 1 missile with 25 warheads can hit 25 cities at the same time.
What is MIRV Missile?
A Russian MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle) missile is a type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads that can be directed to separate targets. One example is the, which is an enhanced version of the Topol-M missile and can carry up to 4 warheads, though some reports suggest it may be capable of carrying up to 12 independently targetable warheads. Another example is the R-36M (SS-18 Satan), which was designed to carry multiple warheads and was the first Soviet MIRV missile. The is a newer heavy ICBM that can carry a variety of warhead options, including up to 12 MIRV warheads or 3 Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles. Additionally, the Oreshnik missile, which was used in combat for the first time in Ukraine, is reported to have a MIRV payload capable of carrying multiple warheads.