Many are questioning what a nuclear war could look like as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
The only time nuclear weapons have been used in armed conflict was in World War II, which saw the United States drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of the war.
UKRAINE: RISK OF RUSSIAN TACTICAL NUCLEAR STRIKE IS ‘VERY HIGH’
The use of a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine could lead to escalation unseen in warfare, with the dire situation of a nuclear war between Russia and its allies and NATO being a possibility.
Russia leads the world in the number of nuclear weapons (5,977), followed by the U.S. (5,428), China (350), and France (290), according to the Federation of American Scientists. The United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, and North Korea also have nuclear weapons, and Israel is presumed to possess them.
In the event of a nuclear conflict, 330 billion pounds of soot and smoke would be lifted up into the upper atmosphere and would partially block sunlight, causing the Earth’s temperature to drop by 13 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the study “A New Ocean State After Nuclear War,” authored by researchers from Louisiana State University and Rutgers University, among other institutions, shows.
“It doesn’t matter who is bombing whom. It can be India and Pakistan or NATO and Russia. Once the smoke is released into the upper atmosphere, it spreads globally and affects everyone,” said Cheryl Harrison, one of the authors of the paper and assistant professor at LSU, in a press release.
If a nuclear weapon does strike the U.S., the federal government recommends taking shelter immediately. After the nuclear blast, it is recommended to replace clothes and take a shower to wash off any radioactive contaminants. A nuclear blast will likely “cause significant damage and casualties from blast, heat, and radiation,” per the Department of Homeland Security.
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Ukraine has said the chance of Russia using a tactical nuclear weapon is “very high,” with the U.S. predicting “catastrophic” consequences for use of such weapons.
