Ukrainecast Would Putin push the nuclear button?
Mar 12, 2024
Exploring Putin's nuclear threats against the West, with insights from a nuclear physicist and a former Russian diplomat. Also, controversy over the Pope's comments on Ukraine, and discussions on potential nuclear conflict and peaceful negotiations amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Russia Maintains A Modernized Nuclear Arsenal
- Russia has approximately 5,580 nuclear warheads, with about 4,380 operational and roughly 95% of its stock modernized.
- Its arsenal is broadly comparable to America’s, while Britain, France and India possess around 120–130 each.
Tactical Nuclear Weapons Still Create Strategic Risks
- The Cold War distinction between strategic and tactical weapons no longer captures their political consequences.
- Even a battlefield-sized strike would constitute a major strategic decision because nuclear use could rapidly escalate.
A Limited Strike Could Trigger Global Catastrophe
- Analysts often imagine Russia using a Hiroshima-sized or somewhat larger weapon against Ukraine.
- Patricia Lewis warned that a broader exchange involving around 100 weapons could inject enough carbon into the atmosphere to produce a decade-long famine.