Putin's threat: How powerful is Russia in nuclear weapons?
The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for eight months. Whether Russia will use nuclear weapons in this war, the issue is being discussed again and again. Although nothing much has happened so far, there has been renewed concern recently after the explosion of the only bridge connecting Russia with Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use "all power" against Ukraine, accusing it of "terrorism". And US President Joe Biden has warned that there is no reason to take Putin's threat lightly. However, experts are divided on whether Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Referring to Russia, US President Joe Biden recently said, 'The risk of a nuclear attack is now at its highest level in 60 years. He was not joking about Putin's statement about using all power to protect Russian territory.
However, analysts say that Putin did not say these things out of interest in using nuclear weapons. In the context of the war, Moscow has warned other countries not to increase their involvement with Ukraine.
What is the number of nuclear weapons that Russia has?
No country discloses the number of nuclear weapons they possess. As a result, all nuclear weapons statistics are speculative. However, according to the US-based non-profit global policy think tank 'Federation of American Scientists', Russia has the highest number of nuclear warheads in the world, 5,977, devices that cause nuclear explosions. Although about 1500 of these warheads are expired.
Most of the remaining 4,500 nuclear warheads are tactical nuclear weapons such as ballistic missiles or rockets, which are capable of hitting long-range targets. These are generally considered weapons of nuclear war.
Beyond that, nuclear weapons that are 'less destructive' are used at short ranges on the battlefield or at sea. But that doesn't mean Russia has thousands of long-range nuclear weapons ready, analysts say. Experts estimate that there are currently around 1,500 Russian warheads 'deployed', placed on bomber bases or submarines.
Where is the position of others compared to Russia?
It is known that some of the countries belonging to the Western military alliance NATO have the largest number of nuclear weapons after Russia. They have a total of 5 thousand 943 such weapons. Of these, the United States has 5,428, France has 290, and the United Kingdom has 225.
Also, China has 350 nuclear weapons, Pakistan 165, India 160, Israel 90 and North Korea 20.
China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom are among the 191 signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Under the treaty, they must reduce their stockpile of nuclear warheads and theoretically commit to gradually phase out these weapons.
India, Israel and Pakistan never joined the NPT, and North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003. Among the nuclear powers, Israel has never officially acknowledged its nuclear program, but its possession of nuclear warheads is more or less known.
How destructive are nuclear weapons?
Nuclear weapons are designed to cause maximum destruction. However, the extent of destruction depends on the size of the warhead, how high above the ground it is detonated, and the local environment.
But even the smallest nuclear weapons can cause massive casualties and lasting consequences. During World War II, the bomb that killed about 150,000 people in Hiroshima, Japan, was 15 kilotons. Compared to that, today's nuclear weapons can be over 1,000 kilotons.
As a result, if such a nuclear weapon is detonated in an area now, there is no possibility of anyone surviving there. Because any building or infrastructure within a few kilometers of where it hits will be reduced to rubble. *
*Translated from BBC
