Inheriting the Bomb: A History of Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament and Why It Matters

In 1991, as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal. By 1994, it decided to surrender Soviet nuclear inheritance and joint the international nuclear nonproliferation regime. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed part of its territory, in violation of security commitments pledged to Ukraine as part of the disarmament deal. In 2022, Russia unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine that continues to this day. In view of these developments, Ukraine’s decision to disarm is more relevant and more controversial. Inheriting the Bomb is an investigation of the dynamics of Soviet disintegration, the contestation over the fate of its nuclear inheritance, Ukraine’s deliberation of its nuclear options and its decision to forgo nuclear weapons. It also sheds light on the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine for the global nuclear order.