As Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov claims ‘the whole of humanity will applaud’ should President Vladimir Putin choose to ‘wipe out’ the UK, a harrowing map illustrates the destruction he could bring
Once again, Vladimir Solovyov has sent chills down the spine of Brits, after very publicly imagining a scenario in which the Russian President Vladimir Putin could unleash nuclear warfare over the UK.
Propagandist and primetime state television host Solovyov has made no secret of his apparent enthusiasm for decimating UK cities, and was recently seen grinning and chuckling away as he suggested that Oxford and Cambridge could be bombed, so as to destroy the British elite.
Now, Solovyov, who is paid a handsome salary to push Kremlin narratives, has claimed that, if Ukraine is supplied with Tomahawk long-range missiles – as has been hinted at by US President Donald Trump – then the West can expect a nuclear stand-off comparable to the dark days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Showing no mercy as he considered how such drastic action would be received on the world stage, Solovyov boasted: “[But], by the way, if the United Kingdom is wiped out, I think the whole of humanity will applaud. God, it’s good how they will say it. That’s the truth. It’s good, they will say.”
Solovyov even went as far as to cruelly suggest that Putin would spark “panic” in London by abruptly withdrawing Russian diplomats, making Western powers believe that a strike was imminent. With some relish, he considered: “Imagine the panic that would ensue if suddenly the embassy left completely….”
Of course, it’s hoped that such a nightmarish scenario will never come to pass. But for those curious about what it would look like if Putin actually chose to obliterate a UK city, a devastating map holds the answers.
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NuclearSecrecy.com has created a frightening Nuke Map tool, which gives a fair estimate of the possible catastrophic damage caused by nuclear weapons. The brainchild of science and nuclear weapons professor Alex Wellerstein, from the Stevens Institute of Technology, site users can ‘trial’ various intimidating tools, including a nightmarish 800-kiloton nuke known to be currently sitting in Russia’s arsenal.
The consequences of dropping this weapon over Cambridge, as so crassly joked about by Solovyov, would be nothing short of hellish. The nuclear fireball would engulf a radius of 2.97 km², encompassing the suburbs of Grantchester, Milton, and Teversham, as well as the University’s main iconic campus.
As claimed by the Nuke Map: “Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to damage on the ground depends on the height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased. Anything inside the fireball is effectively vaporised.”
The second zone, which would have a “moderate blast damage radius”, would cover an area of 134 km². Within this site, buildings would start to collapse, and fires would erupt. As explained by this exceptionally gloomy map: “At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread.
“The chances of a fire starting in commercial and residential damage are high, and buildings so damaged are at high risk of spreading fire. Often used as a benchmark for moderate damage in cities.”
The third zone, with an area of 384km2, would also be heavily impacted, with the nuke map predicting: “Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation.”
Those living in the light blast damage radius zone, just around the edge of Cambridge, could still suffer. Bearing in mind that flashes travel at quicker speeds than the pressure wave, this could still cause injuries to those who may come up to a window after seeing a flash explosion.
According to this map, rival city Oxford would experience a similarly awful outcome. The inner zone, encompassing the university campus, would be instantly vaporised, with damage extending as far out as Woodstock and Bicester.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) urges: “The best way to protect you and your family before, during, and after a nuclear blast is getting inside the centre of a building or basement.
“On August 6, 1945, Mr Eizo Nomura was in the basement of a building in Hiroshima, about 170 meters from ground zero. He survived the atomic bombing and died in 1982 at the age of 84. Most people within a few hundred metres of a nuclear detonation are not likely to survive, especially if unprepared.
“Be inside before the fallout arrives. After a detonation, you will have 10 minutes or more to find an adequate shelter before fallout arrives. If a multi-story building or a basement can be safely reached within a few minutes of the explosion, go there immediately. The safest buildings have brick or concrete walls. Underground parking garages and subways can also provide good shelter.”
Given this advice, many would assume that London, with its extensive underground network, would be the safest place to hide during a blast, with the tube tunnels having provided some protection during the Blitz.
However, some experts fear that modern nuclear weapons could penetrate significantly further than the bombs of World War II, meaning even the 58-metre-deep Hampstead station would still be too close to the surface.
Andrew Futter, a Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, previously warned My London that the Underground “probably wouldn’t be deep enough if there was a direct hit”.
Therefore, should Russia ever target one of the UK’s major cities – from London to Edinburgh – it’s thought that being outside of the blast zone would present the best chance of survival.
When considering the reach of nuclear blasts, several factors must be taken into account, including a radiation radius of approximately 153 km², a fireball radius of around 197 km², an air blast radius ranging from 321 km² to 1,420 km², and a thermal radiation radius of 12,960 km².
Although these distances may vary depending on weather conditions, property researchers have previously listed places that could provide relative safety in this nightmare scenario. These 20 locations, compiled by property portal EMoov back in 2017, are situated outside of the immediate range of blasts in major British cities:
- Cornwall
- Weymouth
- Folkestone
- Dover
- Margate
- Clacton-on-Sea
- Felixstowe
- Brixworth
- Bideford
- Aberystwyth
- Skegness
- Isle of Anglesey
- Barrow in Furness
- Lancaster
- Whitby
- Carlisle
- Dumfries
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Inverness
However, unfortunately, complete protection still wouldn’t be guaranteed, with some of these areas still close enough to blast sites to be affected by radiation swept over by winds. Therefore, the remote island of Foula, on the Shetland Isles, could arguably be the safest place in the UK in this instance.
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