The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked new fears of a possible nuclear war between Russia and NATO.
Vladimir Putin fueled these fears by putting Russian forces, including nuclear weapons, on high alert. The Russian President justified this measure with “aggressive statements by NATO against Russia”.
What would it look like and what would happen if this largescale confrontation took place?
A 2019 report by Princeton University’s Department of Science and Global Security entitled Plan A offers a simulation showing Russia and NATO destroying each other in a nuclear war, leaving Europe as collateral damage.
This is a simulation of what a conflict between Russia and NATO would be like if a conventional war became an allout nuclear war.
According to Princeton University officials, “the simulation is based on the positions of real military forces.” The simulation begins with a conventional war in which Russia, in an attempt to stop NATO forces, fires an offensive bomb from the outskirts of the Russian city of Kaliningrad, an enclave in the Baltic States between Lithuania and Poland. In retaliation, NATO responded with another nuclear strike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jy3JUORpo
tactical nuclear war
After this first exchange of nuclear attacks, the war escalates and becomes a “tactical nuclear war” on European soil.
Russia launches 300 nuclear warheads from aircraft and via shortrange missiles to destroy NATO bases while advancing ground forces.
NATO, in turn, responded with about 180 nuclear warheads fired from aircraft. The result: 2.6 million victims in the first three hours after the attack.
This largescale nuclear attack causes the total destruction of Europe.
Next, the Atlantic Alliance activates a new strategic nuclear strike against Russia, this time with 600 nuclear warheads fired from US landbased missiles and submarines. The aim is to neutralize Russia’s nuclear capacity.
Before Russia loses its nuclear weapons, it activates the response with multiple launches from silos, land vehicles and submarines. Result: 3.4 million victims in the first 45 minutes after the attack.
The nuclear war continues. The next phase of the hypothetical confrontation would seek to thwart any possible recovery by the rival. To this end, each side would aim 5 to 10 nuclear warheads at 30 cities in the opposing bloc. Result of the attack: 85.3 million affected in the first 45 minutes.
By the end of the war, the nuclear explosions will have affected 91.5 million people: 34.1 million dead and 57.4 million wounded.
However, the report insists that “those killed by radioactive fallout and other longterm effects would significantly increase the casualty estimate”.
Source: The Debate