Russia’s nuclear targets in the UK are not where people would imagine, a defence expert has said.
In his State of the Nation address, Putin warned that Russia’s nuclear weapons are at “full readiness” to attack.
He said: “Strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness for guaranteed use. What we planned in the field of armaments, which I spoke about in my message in 2018, has all been done or this work is being completed.”
The Russian Ministry of Defence claims to have successfully test-fired a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile which is designed to be loaded with nuclear warheads.
But were Russia to fire a nuclear weapon at the UK, where would the likely target be?
Professor John Strawson, from the University of East London, told the Mirror that while many people would think it is London, that is in fact probably the safest place.
The professor of Law, Policing and Justice said: “An attack would likely be with missiles and a nuclear weapon would be used as a threat.
“From my experience with NATO in the past, the theory was that in a nuclear war then the Soviets would use low value targets first in a way to demoralise and that the capital would be needed to be kept intact as it would be where you would negotiate with the leaders.
“So Britain would target St Petersburg and not the capital Moscow so as to keep the capital functioning. Then in the UK strangely you would probably be safest of all in the centre of London.”
Other large cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh would be more likely targets.
Military bases and radar stations in Lincolnshire and Norfolk as well as a nuclear submarine base in the Isle of Arran could also be potential targets.
Russian warheads are capable of hitting anywhere in the UK. The Federation of American Scientists estimates 15 nuclear bases from which Russia could feasibly launch weapons towards the UK.
There is a list of targets Putin would aim long-range bombers at if war were to break out between the UK and Russia such as Aldershot, Colchester, Portsmouth, Chatham, Tidworth and Salisbury.