If Russia launched a nuclear attack on Britain, what would happen?

A Russian nuclear attack on Britain would be devastating.

According to Express, British Prime Minister Theresa May recently announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and the freezing of Russian government assets in the UK. This is considered a response from the UK after Russia failed to explain why the Russian-made nerve agent Novichok poisoned former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Mrs May also said that the 23 Russians being expelled were “secret intelligence officers”. This action will seriously affect Russia’s intelligence capabilities in the UK.

This is the most serious diplomatic crisis between Russia and Britain since 1985. At that time, 31 Russian citizens were asked to be expelled from Britain due to allegations related to the defection of spy Oleg Gordievsky.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Mrs May that Britain should not threaten “nuclear powers” ​​like Russia. Just a few days ago, Mr Putin announced that Russia was developing a series of new-generation nuclear weapons, including “invincible missiles” capable of attacking “any target in the world”.

He only has 10 minutes to prepare.

But what if Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with a thermonuclear warhead at Britain?

According to British newspapers, the Russian missile will need about 20 minutes to reach the British capital. The missile will fly over the territory of a series of NATO allies and trigger a red alert.

A nuclear explosion would kill 17 million people instantly.

But Britain will only know the information in the last 10 minutes or so to react appropriately, during which time the British government will release the information to the public.

The UK government can send warning messages to all registered phone numbers in the country. The warnings could include asking people to seek emergency shelter.

In September 2017, Japanese residents also received a nuclear warning, asking them to seek shelter, after North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over the country's airspace.

In addition to notifying the public, the Prime Minister will also have this time to choose a retaliatory attack. In case the Prime Minister is unable to give the order for some reason, a pre-written letter will be sent to four British nuclear submarines.

No one knows what was written in the letter, because it was prepared by the British Prime Minister.

In the 1970s, a series called “Protect and Survive” outlined the best way to survive.

Russia is the only country that has ever built and tested a 50-megaton nuclear bomb.

Viewers were told that if three sirens sounded, it meant the area was under attack. Those in the streets were simply told to lie down.

Others stay inside and don't move. Another siren will sound to notify the survivors that the attack is over.

A terrible nuclear attack

According to experts, a new Russian Satan-2 missile with a destructive power of up to 50 megatons aimed at Birmingham would blow up entire buildings from London to Liverpool, virtually ending life in Britain.

Such an explosion was 4,000 times larger than the atomic bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion created a fireball 40km high. People standing 800km away could still easily see it.

The nuclear explosion instantly vaporized buildings and people within a 64km radius. An estimated 2 million people died instantly.

Buildings as far away as Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff were also flattened by the shockwave. The death toll would rise by 10-15 million.

Russia's Satan-2 missile is currently the world's most powerful strategic nuclear missile.

Windows shattered and roofs fell off in areas such as Leeds, Norwich and Preston, causing extensive damage and the death toll continued to rise. Radiation spread by wind and dust affected millions more, making Britain uninhabitable for generations.

Russia is so far the only country on Earth that has ever built and tested a 50-megaton nuclear bomb.

The Soviet-era bomb was detonated to “show the Americans Russia’s power,” Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said at the time.

“Kruschev wanted to show the Americans what the Soviet Union could do,” said Soviet nuclear program architect Andrei Sakharov.

According to the British newspaper, it is hoped that Russian President Vladimir Putin today does not need to use nuclear weapons for the British to "know the true power of Russia".

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To prevent potential threats, Britain always maintains a powerful nuclear submarine fleet. This will be an effective nuclear deterrent against any country in the world. The next article will reveal the power of this submarine fleet.

Dang Nguyen