The US counts the number of people killed after a nuclear strike on Moscow and St. Petersburg.
For example, according to a simulation conducted by Newsweek using the Nukemap service (created by science and nuclear technology historian Alex Wellerstein), the new 360-kiloton B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb being developed by the Pentagon could cause significant damage to Moscow with 12.6 million people. The number of dead is estimated at 311,480 people, and the number of wounded is 868,860.
“Anyone within a radius of just over 3 km of the explosion site will be exposed to radiation levels so high that they will die within a month, and 15% of those who survive will later die of cancer,” the report said.
MAP DATA © OPENSTREETMAP CONTRIBUTORS, CC-BY-SA, IMAGE © MAPBOX./NUKEMAP/ALEX WELLERSTEIN
According to Nukemap, about 3 km from the site of the bomb explosion, buildings will collapse and fires will start. Everything within a radius of about 1 km from the explosion site will be destroyed by a fireball – all buildings will be destroyed, and all residential buildings will also die.
It is noted that if the B61-13 bomb is launched in St. Petersburg, it could be even more destructive: about 360,150 people will die and 685,930 people will be injured.
MAP DATA © OPENSTREETMAP CONTRIBUTORS, CC-BY-SA, IMAGE © MAPBOX./NUKEMAP/ALEX WELLERSTEIN
On Thursday, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a law to withdraw from the global treaty banning nuclear weapons testing, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The United States condemned this move by the Kremlin.
“Russia’s actions will only undermine the credibility of the international arms control regime,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.
So far, the United States has not threatened with a nuclear bomb. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb said that the development of the new bomb “reflects the changing security environment and the growing threats from potential adversaries.” Plumb added that the United States is committed to using all options to deter and, if necessary, respond to strategic attacks.
