It’s not something anyone wants to think about, but if Russia hits the UK with nuclear missiles, the UK government has contingencies.
Nuclear bombs from Russia would wipe out several major cities in the UK
These are the 10 biggest UK cities and how Russian nuclear attacks would damage them.
(Image: Getty)
It’s something none of us want to think about, but new nuclear missile threats from Russia has put the spectre of nuclear devastation back on the table today.
Dmity Medvedev, leader of the main pro-Putin political party United Russia, and deputy head of the powerful Kremlin security council insisted the West should take seriously Moscow’s regular threats about nuclear war. “These are not hints,” he said in an interview with Vedomosti newspaper.
“Everyone needs to understand nuclear weapons could be used in certain circumstances”, he added.
Much like pandemic planning, every major western government does have contingencies in place for dealing with nuclear strikes on major cities, with the UK being no exception.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, many analysts feared it could be the first major step on the path to World War Three when war broke out on European soil once more.
London
One website, NuclearSecrecy.com, has a tool called Nuke Map, which shows estimates of the damage which would be dealt by various nuclear weapons. This was set up by Alex Wellerstein, a science and nuclear weapons professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology. One warhead available is the Topol SS-25, an 800 kiloton nuke currently in Russia’s arsenal. It shows that, if it was dropped right on Westminster in Central London, the damage would be predictably catastrophic.
(Image: NuclearSecrecy.com)
Get the day’s biggest headlines in UK and World news and more
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
If Cardiff was hit with a Russian nuke, this is the result
The Nuke Map explains what happens in each of the four zones in each city – such as in Cardiff, pictured here.
For the impact area in the orange: “Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to damage on the ground depends on the height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased. Anything inside the fireball is effectively vapourised.”
(Image: NuclearSecrecy.com)
Liverpool
The next zone, seen here on a map of Liverpool, is the ‘moderate blast damage radius’. This would collapse buildings and start fires. The map states: “At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread. The chances of a fire starting in commercial [buildings] and residential damage are high, and buildings so damaged are at high risk of spreading fire.”
(Image: NuclearSecrecy.com)
Edinburgh
The third zone, further from the point of impact, shown here on a map of Edinburgh, in yellow, would fare little better. The map states: “Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation.”