RUSSIA’S nuclear hit list includes a ship yard in Cumbria, a factory in Hull and unknown site near Edinburgh, leaked papers have revealed.
Some 32 Nato targets were revealed in a Russian Navy briefing seen by the Financial Times.
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The secret nuclear dossier states Russia could unleash massive preemptive attacks “from various directions” in the event of a conflict with Nato.
It shows Russian warships are primed to use tactical nuclear weapons in the early stages of a major conflict.
Tactical nuclear weapons have a smaller destructive payload than a strategic nuclear weapons –but would still be devastating.
The papers authors stressed the advantage of going nuclear early.
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The cache of 29 documents shows Britain would get likely blitzed by ships from Russia’s Northern Fleet, headquartered in Murmansk.
The Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria is thought to be a main target.
The unnamed target in Hull was marked with a smokestack suggesting it might be a factory in Moscow’s crosshairs.
The shipyard at Rosyth where the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales were built could be the target near Edinburgh.
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The papers also stressed the value of a "demonstration strike" in a remote, unpoplated area to scare western countries.
Western officials fear Putin was planning such a strike in the first year of the war in Ukraine amid fury at western support for Kyiv.
‘Rattled’ Putin’s body language reveals deep fear over Ukraine invasion as he nervously twitches & rubs hands
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The Kremlin’s Baltic Fleet based at Kaliningrad would target France and Germany, the leaked papers revealed.
The dossier pre-dates the war in Ukraine but their contents emerged amid a drumbeat of nuclear threats from Putin and his top stooges.
Putin stressed Russia is ready to use its doomsday weapons and he ordered a major rehearsal in May over anger at Britain’s support for Ukraine.
The FT said the papers showed Russia was able to launch nukes from ships which has “significant extra risks of escalation or accidents”.
The maps also showed targets in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran and China, North and South Korea and Japan.
Experts said the maps showed only a tiny fraction of the “hundreds of not thousands of targets mapped across Europe.”
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Is the world on brink of WW3?
WHILE the world is facing numerous geopolitical tensions, the idea that we are on the brink of World War III is a complex and often debated topic.
Here are some of the several factors that can contribute to this perception:
Global Power Shifts: The rise of China, the assertiveness of Russia, and the responses of the U.S. and its allies have created significant tensions. The conflict in Ukraine, particularly Russia's invasion, has heightened fears of a broader confrontation between NATO and Russia.
Regional Conflicts: Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran and its adversaries, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, have all contributed to instability.
Economic and Cyber Warfare: Increasingly, conflicts are not just fought with conventional weapons but through economic sanctions, cyber-attacks, and disinformation campaigns. These non-military tactics can still escalate into more serious confrontations.
Nuclear Proliferation: The existence and potential use of nuclear weapons by major powers add a layer of risk, as any significant military conflict among nuclear-armed states carries the potential for catastrophic escalation.
While these tensions are real and concerning, it is important to note that there are also significant efforts at diplomacy and conflict prevention.
World leaders and international organisations like the United Nations continue to work towards de-escalation and conflict resolution.
The concept of "mutually assured destruction" also serves as a deterrent against full-scale war among major powers.
So, while the risk of conflict is higher than in previous decades, the situation does not necessarily mean the world is on the brink of World War III.
The outcome will depend heavily on the actions of world leaders and their ability to manage these complex relationships.
