"Then he may turn to the Iskander missile - a range of about 500km. "So when President Putin starts to talk about nuclear options, he may have in mind something like this. Sir Richard added: "It can also fire a nuclear shell with a yield of about one kilotonne - one thousand tonnes of TNT equivalent. He added other equipment which can fire smaller weapons would still bring devastation to their target.įor example, the 2S7 gun - 203mm calibre - has a range of about 37km and fires a shell that weighs 110kg. "Essentially, by raising the spectre of nuclear weapons, the rest of the Western hemisphere is now on the pitch with Ukraine." "We should understand that the stakes for Ukraine have now become global. "Three hundred kilotonnes is enough to destroy Washington or London or Paris. "The warhead at the front of it has a yield of between 300 and 800 kilotonnes.
"This means the sort of equipment an intercontinental ballistic missile - that means it reaches from Russia to the US and obviously into Europe. In March, Mr Putin raised alarm across the world after placing his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert.Īt the time, defence expert General Sir Richard Barrons told Sky News: "President Putin has raised the stakes - he's started to insinuate nuclear weapons at a global level. ICBMs can reach a top speed around 10 minutes after launch which could see one fired from Russia reach the UK in just 20 minutes. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in Russia's possession have the capability to reach and destroy major global cities such as London or Washington. What threat do the weapons pose to Ukraine and the wider world? Could they reach the UK? However, experts have said the exact number of warheads and weapons is not known due to secrecy surrounding security strategies and concerns.
It says there are an "approximate additional 977 strategic warheads, along with 1,912 non-strategic warheads" being held in reserve. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists says the Russian arsenal includes 4,447 warheads of which 1,588 are deployed on ballistic missiles and at heavy bomber bases.
It says that approximately 90% of all nuclear warheads are owned by Russia and the United States. In comparison, the US has 5,428 while France has 290 and the UK has 225. How many nuclear weapons does Russia have?Īccording to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has a total nuclear warhead inventory of 5,977 - this is the biggest in the world. Russian officials have also warned of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering huge military setbacks in the invasion of Ukraine.īut what nuclear weapons does Russia actually have and what damage could they do? Sky News has taken a look.
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