Russia is no stranger to the use of propaganda to realize its goals. They disseminate certain ideas and beliefs through the media to influence public opinion, hoping to justify their often atrocious actions. Propaganda was used to gain support for the current war with Ukraine and is consistently used to reinforce its stance. Not only does Russia use propaganda on its own civilians, but also produces it to create fear in its enemies. A recent example of this propaganda involves the Russian TV channel Tsargrad. This pro-Putin station aired a simulation of a nuclear bomb hitting London and the subsequent damage caused.
The Russian Nuclear Bomb Simulation Video
The simulation was most likely created to attempt to deter the United Kingdom government from supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles. Their biggest fear is that Ukraine will receive the Storm Shadow missile, which has the capacity to strike deep inside Russian territory. Considering that there have been discussions in the United Kingdom regarding the use of these weapons for targeting key military assets, this fear is not unfounded. [1] Putin and his entourage have threatened the West with nuclear bomb attacks before, but this new video holds back no punches in its intended message.
A Message to the United Kingdom
While produced in the style of a theoretical documentary, the message of the simulation video is clear: this is what will happen to you if you continue to support Ukraine. In the video, the viewer is presented with a simulation in which a 750-kiloton warhead explodes over central London. The nuclear bomb detonates over Westminster, subsequently causing 850,000 deaths as a fireball as hot as the sun expands across a 950-meter radius. Absolutely everything within this radius is instantly vaporized. The video went on to explain that those within the radius wouldn’t even feel anything occur before they died. This is because our nerve impulse transmission speed is lower than the blast.
The Effects of the Nuclear Bomb
In the simulation, the areas that were the worst hit were the city of London, Camden Town, Brixton, and Kensington. The narrator went on to explain that the death toll would initially exceed 250,000 individuals, with an additional 600,000 individuals injured within a six-mile radius of the blast. Anything capable of catching fire within that radius, such as gas stations, power stations, and cars would turn into balls of flame. Nearby explosive facilities would subsequently explode, amplifying the devastating effects over an even larger area. This would include towns from Camden to Greenwich and Islington to Wandsworth.
Further After Effects of a Nuclear Bomb Strike
The video’s narrator went on to claim that an additional 450,000 people would perish from injuries or radiation sickness, and over a million citizens would be left traumatized. The shockwave from the nuclear bomb blast would even reach areas such as Hounslow, Edgware, Enfield, Essex, and Surrey. According to the simulation, if the bomb exploded on the ground instead of in the air, this devastation would be even greater. Apparently, this radioactive fallout would infect land, animals, and people as far as Manchester. The video also warned that London was not designed to survive a nuclear explosion. It would not be able to deal with the influx of those injured either, as 11 of the 20 hospitals fall within the blast zone.
The TV Station Behind the Nuclear Bomb Simulation
The Russian channel that produced and broadcast the video is well-known for its hardline nationalist and pro-Kremlin stance. It was founded by a Russian with close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin, Konstantin Malofeev. Considered a Russian oligarch and businessman, Malofeev is a vocal supporter of Russia’s devastating actions in Ukraine. He has also been involved in funding pro-Russian separatists based in eastern Ukraine. The nuclear bomb simulation video is part of his broader agenda of promoting an imperialist vision of Russia’s role in global affairs. [2]
Will Russia Actually Do It?
So, is it all just an empty threat or would Putin and his cohorts actually detonate a nuclear bomb over London? Well, he certainly has the capacity to do so, but that might have recently changed. One of his missiles recently exploded during a test launch in Plesetsk, destroying Russia’s only suitable testing site. The explosion partially destroyed the observation building located near the launch site. There are fears that the blast potentially killed some of Russia’s leading scientists who were in the building at the time. Experts believe that this incident could stall Putin’s ‘doomsday rocket’ plans by a few years. The Russian media has been very silent about this incident, though. As usual, they have essentially been censored from reporting about it to the Russian public. [3]