As the world witnesses dramatic escalations between Russia and Ukraine, here the answer to your question- Will there be a nuclear war?
The autocratic leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin put his country’s nuclear forces on high alert on Feb 28. The world is witnessing it as a major escalation towards World War III, worse, a nuclear threat in making.
Amid all the escalation, a Jewish survivor of World War III, 87 YO Faina Bystritska said in a statement, “I wish I had never lived to see this.”
So how high is the possibility that the Russia-Ukraine war will lead to a nuclear disaster for the world? Let us try to answer the question.
Russia’s threat to the world- possible nuclear disaster
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has taken a dramatic turn- the one that is far dangerous for not just the suffering nation but also the world. The Russian president has ordered all his nuclear forces to be on high alert, asserting the looming danger of nuclear warfare for the world.
According to him, the reasons behind such drastic escalation are the “aggressive statements” by the NATO nations.
A senior U.S. defence official said in a statement, the step is “potentially putting in play forces that, if there’s a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous.”
The statement comes to light as Russian forces made their way into Kyiv, continuing the advancement into the large cities of Ukraine. It is important to talk about Russia’s strength in the sphere of nuclear warfare if the one breaks out. The country’s deployed warheads amount to 1,625. Other warheads are numbered at 4,630.
What does Putin’s statement mean?
The statement does not reflect the immediate intentions of the Russian president to launch a nuclear attack on Ukraine. However, there is one factor that spells trouble for the world.
For the land and submarine-based nuclear forces to be on alert, is a general practice for the two biggest nuclear powers- Russia and the U.S. However, Russia’s decision to put nuclear-capable air bombers and similar aircraft on high alert is not at all normal.
Given the nuclear strength and tensions between two countries- Russia and U.S., it is obvious that the latter, too, would escalate its response mechanism to any possible nuclear threat.
The European Union, on the other hand, has ordered the purchase of weapons for Ukraine.
With situations stepping an inch closer to a full-blown war every passing hour, what are the possibilities that there will be a nuclear war?
Will there be a nuclear war?
To begin with, even if the statement by Vladimir Putin is only intended to threaten the West against interfering in the Ukraine crisis, it still makes the situation a lot more dangerous.
A full-blown war is a delicate and extremely stressful condition for leaders to deal with. Even if a nuclear invasion would have far-reaching consequences for Russia too, Putin still might make the mistake of launching a nuclear attack due to his diminished sense of danger.
Putin is not a straightforward leader. Rather, the one that the world can hardly comprehend. Right now, he is isolated and challenged. And this further increases the risk of him taking disastrous measures to assert his victory.
Although, there are bleak possibilities that his high command might refuse to launch a nuclear attack if he orders one. However, the chances are slim given the state support that the leader enjoys.
