Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent Russian state television host and propagandist, has once again stoked fears of nuclear war by publicly discussing a scenario in which President Vladimir Putin could unleash nuclear weapons on the United Kingdom. Solovyov, known for pushing Kremlin narratives, suggested that if Ukraine were supplied with Tomahawk long-range missiles—as hinted by US President Donald Trump—the West could face a nuclear stand-off reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In a recent broadcast, Solovyov boasted that if the UK were wiped out, humanity would applaud, and he speculated that Putin could cause panic in London by abruptly withdrawing Russian diplomats. He also crudely joked about bombing Oxford and Cambridge to destroy the British elite, grinning as he described the potential devastation.
A tool created by NuclearSecrecy.com, developed by nuclear science professor Alex Wellerstein, illustrates the catastrophic impact of an 800-kiloton nuclear weapon—a type known to be in Russia's arsenal—if dropped on Cambridge. The nuclear fireball would engulf a radius of 2.97 km², vaporising everything within, including suburbs like Grantchester, Milton, and Teversham, as well as the university's main campus.
The moderate blast damage radius would cover 134 km², causing widespread building collapse and fires, with injuries and fatalities expected. A third zone of 384 km² would see third-degree burns, severe scarring, and potential amputations. Even those on the periphery could suffer injuries from the flash before the pressure wave arrives.
Oxford would face a similarly dire outcome, with its university campus instantly vaporised and damage extending to Woodstock and Bicester. The International Commission on Radiological Protection advises that the best protection during a nuclear blast is to get inside the centre of a building or basement, citing the example of Eizo Nomura, who survived the Hiroshima bombing in 1945 by being in a basement 170 metres from the epicentre.
