The Kremlin appears to be “normalising” the use of tactical nuclear bombs through its media to ready its population in case they are deployed in Ukraine.
World leaders continue to fear Vladimir Putin will unleash atomic warheads on the war-torn country as his “special operation” continues to flounder.
It has been suggested Putin could launch tactical nuclear weapons which are smaller and designed for use on a battlefield.
Despite that they are still incredibly destructive and can detonate with the force of between 1 and 100 kilotons, compared to strategic nukes which are even greater.
To lessen the shock factor on the Russian people a number of experts have been wheeled out who have told newspapers and television studios the impact would be “minimal”.
In actuality, thousands would potentially be killed within a radius of several kilometres should Putin decide to press the button.
They have been told the explosion would be smaller than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, with an expert saying they are “attempting to fool Russians into thinking this is a small step, not a giant leap towards Armageddon”.
Nuclear weapons expert Igor Nikulin told Russia ’s biggest newspaper, pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda the chances of such use by Russia were now 50-50 in Ukraine.
Nikulin, a former member of the UN Disarmament Commission and ex-adviser to the UN Secretary General, made it sound as if there would be nothing abnormal should Putin pull the nuclear trigger.
He said: “If the West does not calm down and reason with its vassals, we will have to reason with them
“If they decide to launch a large-scale offensive and we do not have the strength to repel it in some area, we will have to calm them by other means.”
“A tactical nuclear charge gives a small shock wave and the radioactive contamination is also relatively small.
“The main damage is from ionising radiation which burns out all electronics.
“All this American equipment that was delivered to Kyiv will stop working and we will be able to …successfully attack.”
“A simple example - if you blow up such a charge in Moscow's Southern Butovo, the windows in Northern Butovo won't even crack.”
“On islands like Bikini, where the Americans and the French detonated an atomic bomb, rats reproduce perfectly there.
“From the point of view of radiation contamination, the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant gave a greater negative effect than the likely impact of the use of the nuclear weapons now being discussed.”
Nikulin was ALSO asked About the effectiveness of concrete shelters.
“Quite effective. Even trenches in the ground are very effective.
He explained: “They helped save many lives in Hiroshima. Any shelter reduces the risk of radiation and heat damage.”
“When using tactical nuclear weapons, the radiation is not the same as, for example, when released from … Chernobyl.
“According to Soviet standards, within an hour after a nuclear strike, our troops had the opportunity to go on the offensive in the zone of use of tactical nuclear weapons, because the main damaging factor there is not radiation nor shock wave, but ionising radiation.”
He also advised nuclear winter would not follow such an attack.
Military analyst Mikhail Tymoshenko, a retired Russian colonel, told the same newspaper that the radius of damage from such a Putin tactical nuclear missile would be little more than one kilometre.
He added: “The civilian population should act on the principle of if you're warned, it's your responsibility to shelter.”
