According to the experts of Foreign Affairs, about 30% of Russia's nuclear arsenal is within the range of Ukrainian drones and missiles. What is important to understand is that it is about 5,580 warheads.
Points of attention
- There are known probable reasons why Putin does not hide his nuclear weapons away.
- The risks of Ukrainian missiles accidentally hitting nuclear facilities still exist, but the Kremlin ignores them.
- Nuclear warheads can be captured by militants and terrorists, not Ukrainian forces.
The Kremlin is in no hurry to protect the Russian Federation from a possible nuclear explosion
According to experts, at least 14 Russian nuclear storage facilities are now within range of Ukrainian drones.
Moreover, it is emphasized that 2 of these facilities are located less than 100 miles from the Ukrainian border, and another 5 facilities are located less than 200 miles from the border.
The defense forces of Ukraine have never attempted to attack the enemy's nuclear weapons.
Despite this, it is the authorities of the Russian Federation who are responsible for moving their nuclear warheads away from danger, but no one is doing this.
After Ukraine launched its first missile and drone attacks on Belgorod in the spring of 2023, Russia quickly announced that its Belgorod storage facility no longer held nuclear warheads — acknowledging that warheads should not be stored near active hostilities. But it is noteworthy that Russia has not made any statements about the condition of the warheads that it keeps in its other warehouses, the publication writes.
Why doesn't Putin even try to hide his nuclear weapons
According to experts, there may be several reasons at once.
Here are the most likely of them:
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may believe that moving Russian nuclear warheads will be seen as a sign of weakness on his part;
The Kremlin has not yet realized the danger posed by these warheads, and has also miscalculated the risks;
the Russian army may be afraid that the West will mistakenly consider the movement of warheads as preparation for a nuclear attack, which will lead to a preemptive strike by NATO.
What is important to understand is that the probability of a Ukrainian drone or missile accidentally hitting a warhead and causing an explosion that spreads fissile material is already a high risk. However, that is not all.
Even more dangerous is the possibility that a Ukrainian missile strike or seizure of the territory could lead to operational chaos at the storage facility, which would allow attackers to take possession of nuclear warheads, or push Russia to nuclear escalation, the publication writes.
In fact, nuclear warheads can be captured by a small group of militants, not Ukrainian soldiers, but Putin is not concerned at the moment.
