The document "Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence", adopted in 2020, states: the decision to use nuclear weapons is made by the President of Russia.

A small briefcase, the link between the president and Russia's strategic nuclear command centre, is always kept close to the president. The briefcase does not contain a nuclear button; rather, it is designed for communication with the central military command centre, the General Staff.

Access codes are held by the General Staff, which, in turn, has two further options - to pass the command and code on to the commanders of individual weapon controllers, or to activate launch systems directly, bypassing other links in the chain.