Princeton University researchers released the bleak video simulation, which lays bare how a nuclear war between Russia and the US would unfold. Towards the start of the video, titled Plan A, Russia sends 3000 nuclear warcraft to NATO bases across Europe. The simulation then shows London and surrounding areas targeted, with the whole European continent being wiped out in just three hours, with an estimate 2.6million killed or injured.
London is depicted as being carpet-bombed, and Europe is devastated, at which point NATO launches a further 600 warheads from US soil and via nuclear submarines aimed at Russian nuclear forces, with Russia responding with a salvo of its own.
There are a further 3.4 million casualties in just 45 minutes.
Both sides then launch further strikes on major population centres, with another 85.3 million people killed and wounded in the course of 45 minutes.
By the end of the exchanges, there are a total of 91.5 million casualties, including 34.1 million deaths.
In the four-minute video from Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, it is explained: “What follows is a depiction of how a conflict between Russia and the United States could escape from conventional war to all-out nuclear war. The simulation is based on real force postures, targets and fatality estimates.
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“The simulation behind in the context of a conventional conflict. In hopes of halting a US-NATO advance, Russia launches a nuclear warning shot from a base near the city of Kalingrad. NATO retaliates with a single tactical nuclear air strike.
“As the nuclear threshold is crossed, fighting escalates to a tactical nuclear war in Europe. Russia sends 3000 nuclear warheads via aircraft and short-range missiles to hit NATO bases and advancing troops. NATO responds with approximately 180 nuclear warheads via aircraft.”
For the counterplea, it describes: “With Europe destroyed, NATO launches a strategic nuclear strike of 600 warheads from US land and submarine-based missiles aimed at Russian nuclear forces.
“Before losing its weapon systems, Russia launches on warning, responding with missiles launched from silos, road-mobile vehicles and submarines.
“The counter value plan: With the aim of inhibiting the other side’s recovery, Russia and NATO each target the other’s 30 most populated cities and economic centres, using 5-10 warheads on each city depending on population size.
“This four-minute audio-visual piece is based on independent assessments of current US and Russian force postures, nuclear war plans, and nuclear weapons targets.
“It uses extensive data sets of the nuclear weapons currently deployed, weapon yields, and possible targets for particular weapons, as well as the order of battle estimating which weapons go to which targets in which order in which phase of the war to show the evolution of the nuclear conflict from tactical, to strategic to city-targeting phases.”
Kaliningrad is located in the Kalingrad Oblast, a Russia enclave on the Baltic Sea sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
In 2016, after years of threats, Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear-capable Iskander missiles with a range of 440 miles to be deployed in the region, putting Berlin comfortably in range.
Then-Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz described the move, likely a response to the deployment of US-controlled missile defence systems in his own country, as “very alarming”.
Russia has a total of 6,850 nuclear weapons at its disposal, while the US has 6,550. The UK has 215.