A terrifying map has laid bare the catastrophic damage that could be inflicted by a Russian nuclear strike on three strategic locations in the UK, as fears of World War 3 intensify. In yet another dire warning to emerge from Russia, Sergei Lavrov, the nation’s long-serving minister of foreign affairs, this week set out the circumstances required for Vladimir Putin to wage war on Europe. In comments that only serve to ratchet up fears of an all-out conflict with Europe, Lavrov slammed the UK and EU states and heaped praise on Donald Trump for his 28-point Ukraine peace plan.
It only marks the latest in a series of grave threats from prominent Russian figures in recent times. Just today, the Russian propaganda machine has warned that the admission of the UK armed forces’ presence in Ukraine amounted to a “casus belli” for a nuclear strike on the UK, with Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov saying on his show: “Now a nuclear strike on Britain is inevitable….” Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian senator and war veteran, had shared a list of strategic UK targets for potential Russian attack and warned that Britain could become “deadly dangerous”.
Putin’s mouthpieces have continuously stoked WW3 fears (Image: Getty)
Similarly, in further worrying comments, Putin advisor Sergey Karaganov recently told Russian state-owned TV channel Russia-1 that “this war will not end up until we defend Europe – morally and politically.”
But what would a war with the UK actually look like, if Russia dropped some of its staggering 5,580 nuclear bombs?
An interactive map that seeks to show the effects of such a strike, dubbed NUKEMAP, may offer us some insight into the potential blast radius and a massive combined death toll of approximately a quarter of a million.
According to Gene Sticco, a national security expert and ex-Air Force nuclear protection specialist, we should “avoid anywhere near the US and NATO facilities”.
He added: “Otherwise, the key military centres – Telford, Plymouth, South Yorkshire, and the South East and South West of England.”
If there were a strike tomorrow, however, Gene believes the likely target would be: “Naval centres – this is the UK’s strength and lifeline. Strike at Plymouth and Barrow-in-Furness.”
In the dramatic image, the blast ranges about 285 miles from Plymouth to near Peterborough (Image: Nuclearsecrecy.com/OpenStreetMap )
Plymouth
If we work under the assumption that the UK would face a strike from the 800-kiloton Topol (SS-25), which the site states is currently in the Russian arsenal, the effects would be devastating.
It would kill an estimated 133,510 people, injure 85,830 and produce a fireball spanning 1.28 km (5.16 km²). Its heavy blast damage radius would span 2.02 km (12.8 km²), and the ensuing radiation would span 2.43 km (18.6 km²).
In the dramatic image above, the blast appears to range about 285 miles from Plymouth, home to Britain’s largest naval base, to near Peterborough, with the map indicating a thermal radiation (which causes third-degree burns) radius of 9.7 km (296 km²).
Applying the same settings to Telford produced equally catastrophic results (Image: Nuclearsecrecy.com/OpenStreetMap )
Telford
Applying the same logic to Telford, home to a key Ministry of Defence facility at Donnington, produced equally catastrophic results, killing an estimated 71,350 people, injuring 49,040 and mirroring the blast figures outlined above.
On the map, this blast extends northeastward towards Scarborough (a distance of some 173 miles) and extends beyond the coastline into the North Sea.
In addition, the map notes that the radiation would also kill 15% of survivors over time as a result of cancer caused by exposure.
The map adds that the light blast damage radius would span an astonishing 10.9 km (375 km²) (Image: Nuclearsecrecy.com/OpenStreetMap )
Barrow-in-Furness
Similar to Telford, a nuclear strike at Barrow-in-Furness – home to the only place in the UK capable of designing and constructing nuclear submarines for the Navy – would extend beyond the coast into the North Sea.
Once again echoing the blast figures outlined above, the blast would kill an estimated 54,060 people and injure 12,620. The striking image displays a blast that spans the breadth of the North of England, just below the border with Scotland and narrowly missing Carlisle.
The map adds that the light blast damage radius would span an astonishing 10.9 km (375 km²). In total, the estimated amount of deaths from all three strikes would total 258,920.
