I don't think the launch codes are what matters. It it is the fissile material. Worst case, you can build new nukes with it. Not easy, but also not impossible.

I don't think the launch codes are what matters. It it is the fissile material. Worst case, you can build new nukes with it. Not easy, but also not impossible. I have no idea if Ukraine had a choice or not, but at the time Russia was weak and Putin was not yet in power. It could have gone in a myriad of different ways.