These are the “tactical” nuclear weapons that Vladimir Putin has in his possession: Around 2,000 missiles and bomb launchers are a great threat to Ukraine

With the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, alarms were raised around the world about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons that Vladimir Putin possesses and this concern increased when in his speech he stated that he was mobilizing the “deterrence forces”, that is, their nuclear weapons.

This means that the invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate and catastrophic stories and war scenarios continue to unfold in the nation led by Volodimir Zelensky.

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These are Vladimir Putin’s “tactical” nuclear weapons

Tactical nuclear weapons are those that could be used over relatively short distances. This would be the difference from the “strategic” nuclear weapons that, during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union threatened to launch, according to a BBC review.

A missile launched from a tactical weapon can travel long distances. Although the term refers to many types of weapons and not just missiles.

Russia would have in its possession at least 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, including missiles used in conventional bomb launchers and battlefield artillery projectiles. They were also developed for aircraft and ships (torpedoes and depth charges for targeting submarines).

As was known days ago by the Russian Ministry of Defense, these warheads are in storage facilities, and not precisely deployed in places and ready to fire.

What damage would these tactical nukes cause?

They vary in size and power. The smallest can be a kiloton or less (equivalent to a thousand tons of the explosive TNT) and the largest can reach 100 kilotons.

The effects would depend on the size of the warhead, how far from the ground it detonates, and the local environment.

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To get an idea, the atomic bomb that killed about 146,000 people in Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, was 15 kilotons.

Russia’s largest strategic weapons are believed to be at least 800 kilotons.

Would Vladimir Putin be willing to use a nuclear weapon?

Although he repeatedly refers to his nuclear arsenal, US spies believe he only does so to create fear and dissuade the West, as a strategy to prevent other countries or organizations from intervening.

But that doesn’t relieve the concern globally, as there is equally a small chance that Russia will try to use a smaller tactical weapon during the invasion.

“It is possible that in Russia they believe that the use of smaller weapons does not cross the red line that transforms the war conflict into a nuclear conflict. They could see it as a use of conventional forces,” says Patricia Lewis, head of the international security program at the Chatham House think tank.

Although, on the other hand, this could be counterproductive, since Russia is in a close distance and “the consequences could cross borders”, warns Lewis. (I)