Today, Vladimir Putin made a new nuclear threat against Ukraine and the West, pledging to use ‘all possible means’ to maintain ‘the territorial integrity of our motherland, our independence, and our security.’
The tyrannical leader has made this warning before. When he launched his “special military operation” in February, he warned anyone who “interfered” with the fight of “consequences you have never faced in history.”
This time, though, he is attempting to annex seized territories of Ukraine to the Russian mainland, therefore making them, in the eyes of the Kremlin at least, Russian territory. This would permit the use of nuclear weapons, according to the country’s doctrine from the Soviet era.
So, what are Vladimir Putin’s alternatives if he decides to use nuclear weapons? How could they be utilized to attack his adversaries? Here, MailOnline lists some of his arsenal’s weapons…
The streets of Moscow are filled with road-launched nuclear missiles during this year’s Victory Day celebration, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Warheads
Russia asserts it has 5,977 nuclear warheads, which, if true, would be the greatest nuclear arsenal in the world.
An estimated 1,588 of these are deployed, meaning they are affixed to ballistic missiles or stored at heavy bomber bases in preparation for loading onto aircraft.
In reserve are 977 strategic warheads, the most potent type meant to level entire cities, and 1,912 non-strategic warheads.
This leaves approximately 1,500 aircraft that have been retired from service and are awaiting disassembly, but might theoretically be used again in the event of a war.
In comparison, the United States claims to possess 5,428 warheads. The UK and France both have approximately 250.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
These intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, are Russia’s most powerful and longest-range missiles, constituting the basis of its’strategic deterrence force’
These missiles, which are capable of carrying dozens of Russia’s most potent warheads and can reach practically any location on the earth, are not built for combat.
Instead, they are intended to deter any threat to Russia or its leadership without firing a single shot – hence the term “deterrent.”
Sarmat
Designed to replace the aging Soviet R-36, this is Russia’s largest and most advanced nuclear missile.
Putin oversaw the final missile test launch just prior to the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, but it is believed that none of the missiles have yet been deployed.
According to the Kremlin, with a range of 11,000 miles, the missiles will be able to strike every country on earth from Russia’s facilities in remote Siberia.
Russia conducts a test launch of one of its new Sarmat nuclear missiles, which it claims can carry up to 15 warheads, strike any nation on the planet, and cannot be stopped by existing defenses.
It is believed that Sarmat’s nose can hold ten warheads, each of which may be autonomously guided to a different target and detonate with a yield of 750 kilograms. The bomb that obliterated Hiroshima had a 15-kiloton yield.
It is believed that Sarmat is also capable of carrying Avangard, a hypersonic glide vehicle that stores in the missile’s nose and delivers the nuclear payload to its target.
In contrast to conventional reentry vehicles, the Avangard is believed to be capable of flying at low altitude and doing many quick maneuvers en route to its target, making it far more difficult to shoot down.
Yars
The RS-24 Yars, the most contemporary ICBM in Russia’s current arsenal, can carry up to four nuclear warheads and has a range of up to 7,500 miles.
It uses a solid fuel, unlike the Sarmat, making it easier to transport and quicker to launch. It can be launched from underground silos, or it can be installed to a transport truck.
Yars is the most advanced ICBM currently employed by Russia’s strategic nuclear forces; it can carry four nuclear warheads, each of which detonates with the force of 500,000 tons of TNT.
In the case of a nuclear war, the Yars missiles can be distributed over a vast area, making it more difficult to locate and destroy them before they can be launched.
Once outside the atmosphere, Yars released its warheads, which returned to Earth at 20 times the speed of sound and exploded with a force equal to 500 kilotons, or 500,000 tons of TNT.
Intermediate-range missiles
These weapons are sometimes referred to as “tactical nukes” and have far shorter ranges and less potent warheads than their “strategic” relatives.
These missiles are not designed to torch cities or bring entire nations to their knees; rather, they are intended to be employed similarly to conventional bombs – to eliminate military targets or kill large numbers of soldiers while requiring fewer missiles or bombs than usual.
Analysts and specialists think that commanders would be more prone to use these kind of nuclear weapons, despite the severity of the destruction they would wreak and the related fallout.
The majority of individuals fear that Putin would employ these ‘tactical’ weapons against nations like Ukraine.
Iskander
The mainstay of Russia’s rocket forces, it is believed that Putin has already employed hundreds of these to hit Ukraine with conventional explosives rather than nuclear ones.
According to Russian official media, Iskanders can be equipped with thermonuclear warheads that would explode with a yield of up to 50kilotons of TNT.
Iskander missiles have been employed by Russia in its conflict against Ukraine (shown) with conventional explosives, but they are also capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
The majority of them are launched from road-mobile launchers, allowing them to be quickly moved across the battlefield and fired with reasonable ease.
The Iskander, unlike ICBMs, has a range of only 300 miles, allowing Putin to attack the majority of Ukraine and eastern Europe from bases in Russia and Kaliningrad, but not beyond.
Kalibr
Also a cornerstone of Russia’s missile arsenal, this weapon has regularly been deployed to strike Ukrainian sites and has been spotted flying overhead.
In contrast to ballistic missiles, which follow an arced trajectory through the air, cruise missiles operate like planes, using their engines and small wings to fly straight through the air before impacting their target.
This is advantageous since they fly lower than ballistic missiles, making them more difficult to detect.
Kalibrs can be launched from a variety of platforms, including ships, submarines, aircraft, and land-based vehicles, making them incredibly adaptable. They are believed to be capable of carrying a thermonuclear bomb.
Kinzhal
The Kinzhal, one of Russia’s latest ‘hypersonic’ missiles, employs conventional ballistic missile technology but, unlike most other ballistics, is air-launched.
It is believed that Russia adapted a variant of their MiG-31 aircraft to carry the missiles, which are known to be in use over Ukraine.
Kinzhal is an air-launched ‘hypersonic’ ballistic missile that has already been employed against Ukraine with a conventional warhead, but may be armed with a nuclear warhead if Putin so chooses.
Putin claims that the missile’s ability to fly at 12 times the speed of sound renders it “unstoppable” by current missile defense systems.
While Russia is presently employing Kinzhal missiles to strike Ukraine with conventional bombs, they are also capable of carrying a 500-kiloton yield nuclear warhead.
Ballistic missile submarines
SSBNs, or ballistic submarines, are distinct from nuclear submarines. The first are ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear bombs. The second are nuclear reactor-powered. Some individuals can accomplish both.
They are intended for absolute concealment. While ground-launched nuclear weapons can be detected by satellites or enemy radar and destroyed prior to use, ballistic submarines are much more difficult to track, and their positions are strictly guarded.
The concept is that, in the case of a nuclear war, a submarine might appear anywhere, at any time, and unleash its missiles before it can be stopped, making it a crucial component of the “nuclear deterrent.”
Poseidon
This is not strictly a submarine, but rather an underwater drone, and it is a weapon that only Russia is known to possess.
These vessels are nuclear-powered, making them nearly silent when submerged and capable of staying down for an indefinite amount of time, as they have no crew that needs to surface for supplies.
Poseidon is a one-of-a-kind nuclear-powered underwater drone equipped with a warhead that, according to Russia, can detonate with two megatons of force, causing an atomic tidal wave to irradiate a country’s coastline.
And, unlike other ballistic submarines, Poseidon does not fire nuclear weapons; it carries a thermonuclear warhead in its nose and is the nuclear weapon.
This implies that Poseidon may remain submerged for years before being steered to its target, where Russia believes it would explode with a yield of 2 megatons – 130 times the scale of the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima.
Putin’s propagandists assert that this would result in a nuclear wave that would inundate the targeted nation’s coastline and leave it a radioactive wasteland for decades.
Borei-class
The most recent Russian ballistic submarines are also nuclear-powered and armed with 16 Bulava missiles capable of carrying up to ten 150-kiloton warheads each.
Moscow aims to replace its entire fleet of ballistic submarines with these vessels, which are meant to challenge the Ohio-class submarines of the United States.
The Borei-class is Russia’s response to the American Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine; it can carry up to 16 Bulava missiles with 10 nuclear warheads apiece.
Borei submarines are supposed to stay at sea longer and be harder for opposing subs and radar to identify because they are smaller and have fewer crew than their predecessors.
The Russian military is considering a modified design that is capable of carrying nuclear-armed cruise missiles, similar to the Ohio-class.
atomic bombers
Long-range bombers, the traditional mainstay of the nuclear arsenal, were used by the United States to deliver the world’s first nuclear bomb on Japan and were how the United States and the Soviet Union initially intended to wage a nuclear war.
With the development of missiles and submarines, nuclear bombers are no longer as dangerous as they once were, but most countries, including Russia, still possess a handful.
Tu-160
The world’s largest and heaviest combat aircraft, the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic long-range bomber capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons.
The Russian air force currently operates sixteen aircraft, although dozens more are planned.
The Tu-160, the world’s heaviest and largest combat aircraft, can carry both conventional bombs and nuclear-tipped cruise and ballistic missiles.
Each bomber is capable of carrying as many as six Kh-55 nuclear cruise missiles or twelve Kh-15 ballistic missiles. The first has a maximum yield of 450 kilotons, while the second has a maximum yield of 300 kilotons, however it may be retired from operation.
The bomber can increase its range by refueling in midair, though this feature is rarely used.
Tu-95
This massive four-engine long-range
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