RUSSIA’S nuclear target list includes a backyard in Cumbria, a factory in Hull and an unknown factory near Edinburgh, leaked documents have revealed.
Some 32 NATO targets were listed in a Russian military report published by the Financial Times.
The secret nuclear dossier indicates that Russia could launch major preemptive moves “from directions” in the event of a clash with NATO.
This shows that Russian warships are in a position to use tactical nuclear weapons in the early stages of a primary conflict.
Tactical nuclear weapons have a lower payload than strategic nuclear weapons, but they would still be devastating.
The authors of the article highlighted the advantages of temporarily switching to nuclear energy.
The cache of 29 documents shows that Britain would likely be attacked via ships from Russia’s Murmansk-based Northern Fleet.
The Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine yard at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, is said to be a target.
The unnamed target in Hull is marked with a chimney, suggesting it may simply be a factory in Moscow’s sights.
Rosyth shipyard, where the Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales were built, may be the target near Edinburgh.
Newspapers also talk about the price of a “demonstration strike” in a remote and unpopulated area to scare Western countries.
Western officials worry that Putin planned such an attack in the first year of the war in Ukraine, amid fury over the Western relationship with Kyiv.
The Kremlin’s Baltic fleet in Kaliningrad would target France and Germany, leaked documents reveal.
The dossier predates the war in Ukraine, but its contents emerged amid nuclear threats from Putin and his more sensible cronies.
Putin is under pressure that Russia is fit to use its doomsday weapons and ordered a primary practice session in May because of his anger at Britain’s attitude toward Ukraine.
The Financial Times said the newspapers showed Russia was capable of launching nuclear weapons from ships, posing “significant additional dangers of escalation or accidents. “
The maps showed goals in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran and China, North and South Korea and Japan.
Experts said the maps showed only a small fraction of the “hundreds, if not thousands, of targets mapped across Europe. “
WHILE the world is facing many geopolitical tensions, the concept that we are at the breaking point of World War III is a complex and debated issue.
Here are some of the many points that can contribute to this perception:
Global force shifts: The rise of China, Russia’s assertiveness, and the responses of the United States and its allies have created significant tensions. The confrontation in Ukraine, specifically the Russian invasion, raises greater fears of a deepening between NATO and Russia.
Regional conflicts: Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Iran and its adversaries, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea have all contributed to instability.
Economic warfare and cyber warfare: Increasingly, conflicts are fought only with traditional weapons, but also through economic sanctions, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns. These non-military tactics can still lead to more serious confrontations.
Nuclear Proliferation: The lifestyles and use of nuclear weapons by primary powers add a layer of risk, as any primary military clash between nuclear-armed states carries the risk of catastrophic escalation.
While those tensions are genuine and worrying, it should be noted that significant efforts are also being made in international relations and the prevention of confrontations.
World leaders and organizations such as the United Nations continue to work to de-escalate and resolve conflicts.
The concept of “mutually assured destruction” also serves as a deterrent against a large-scale war between powers.
So, although the threat of confrontation is greater than in past decades, this scenario does not necessarily mean that the world is on the brink of a Third World War.
The final results will depend largely on the moves of global leaders and their ability to manage those complex relationships.
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided under News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s popular terms and conditions, in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To request information about a license to reproduce material, please visit our distribution site. Check out our online press kit. For other requests, please contact us. To see all content from The Sun, use the sitemap. Sun’s online site is regulated through the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO)
Our hounds check to be precise, but we make mistakes. For more main points about our claims policy and to register a claim, please click on this link: thesun. co. uk/editorial-complaints/