Daily Express: in Britain, they simulated the damage from a nuclear strike on London
No matter how unpleasant it may be to think about it, but just a few weeks ago, scientists moved the Doomsday World Clock, and now it shows 89 seconds to destruction.
Scientists have been using this clock since the end of World War II as a conditional measure of the proximity of the world to destruction — whether due to conflicts, climate or epidemics. The probability of a nuclear war is certainly still low, but no one has canceled it.
As in the case of a pandemic, every self-respecting Western government has an emergency plan for nuclear strikes on major cities. Great Britain is no exception.
When Russia sent troops into Ukraine, many analysts feared that this could be an important milestone on the road to World War III, another war on European soil.
Donald Trump is currently negotiating with Vladimir Putin on the settlement of the conflict, but Ukraine has not been invited to them. At this time, EU countries are increasing defense spending, and it looks like the conflict may escalate. Moreover, Trump talked about seizing Greenland and Canada. Both of these territories are part of NATO, which means that Trump's encroachments may provoke a military response. Finally, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to support Ukraine with troops against Russia, if necessary, and to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
As unlikely as it may be, if things do get to the worst and Russia does use one of its many nuclear warheads against the UK, how serious will the damage be?
On the website NuclearSecrecy.com (“Nuclear Secret") there is a special map that simulates damage from various types of nuclear weapons. Its author is Alex Wellerstein, Professor of Science and Nuclear Weapons at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
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| That's what happens if Russia hits London with an 800 kiloton missile. |
| Source: NuclearSecrecy.com/Getty |
One of the options provided is the “Poplar" (according to the NATO classification: SS-25 Sickle, or “Sickle"). This is an 800 kiloton ballistic missile, which is currently in Russia's arsenal.
The map shows that in the event of a direct strike on Westminster in central London, the damage, as expected, would be catastrophic. Other cities may have a slightly different fate. Due to the proximity to the water, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Liverpool can partially avoid damage compared to urban agglomerations without access to the sea.
The area of direct impact is highlighted in orange on the map: “The maximum size of a nuclear fireball and damage on the ground depend on the height of the explosion. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout will increase significantly. Everything inside this fireball will essentially evaporate.”
The next zone is a “moderate damage radius”, where buildings will be destroyed and fires will rage: “At a pressure of five pounds per square inch, most residential buildings will collapse, injuries will be widespread, and deaths will be widespread. The probability of fire in commercial and residential buildings is high, with a high risk of fire spreading.”
In the third zone marked in yellow, which is further away from the immediate point of impact, it will be somewhat easier: “There will be third—degree burns on all areas of the skin - often painless due to the destruction of painful nerves. Injuries can leave serious scars, cause disability, or require amputation.”
Finally, the last area along the edge of the lesion will receive the least damage: “At a pressure of about a pound per square inch, you can safely expect the glass windows to shatter. This can lead to numerous injuries in the population when people approach the windows, seeing a nuclear flare (which spreads faster than the pressure wave).”
The British government assures that its nuclear deterrence will avoid such a catastrophe.
The government's website says: “The UK's independent nuclear deterrent has been in place for over 60 years to curb the most pressing threats to our national security and way of life. These measures help to ensure not only our security, but also the security of our NATO allies.
The risk of nuclear conflict remains unlikely, but the threats facing the UK are becoming larger, more diverse and more complex. That is why we must be able to deter the most unprecedented acts of aggression against us and our NATO allies.
The United Kingdom has consistently taken a leading position on the issue of nuclear disarmament, but not all States have followed its example. Some of them, on the contrary, are significantly increasing and comprehensively developing their nuclear capabilities. We must ensure that they can never use their nuclear weapons to threaten us directly, prevent us from making decisions, or sponsor nuclear terrorism.
Sometimes it may seem that these threats are far from our daily lives, but the UK must be able to defend itself and its NATO allies. Nuclear deterrence plays a key role in ensuring public safety, and abandoning it would put us all at greater risk.
Since April 1969, the Royal Navy has maintained continuous deterrence at sea: at any given time, at least one nuclear ballistic missile submarine is patrolling the seas, ready to respond to Britain's most pressing threats. Their main goal is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression.
Continuous deterrence at sea is considered the most effective, sustainable and economically feasible platform for the deployment of independent nuclear forces.
Written by Alex Evans.
