In a provocative broadcast that has raised alarms across the globe, Russian propaganda channel Tsargrad TV recently aired a simulation depicting a nuclear strike on London. This chilling presentation, directly aligned with the Kremlin's narrative, estimates catastrophic casualties and aims to exert psychological pressure amid escalating tensions between Russia and Western nations. As the world grapples with the implications of nuclear threats, the details of this simulation shed light on the dangerous rhetoric emerging from state-affiliated media.
A Russian propaganda channel closely aligned with the Kremlin has aired a simulation of a nuclear strike on London, claiming the attack would result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and two million casualties.
The broadcast, made by the Tsargrad TV channel on its Telegram platform, is part of the latest wave of nuclear threats from Russia.
Tsargrad is owned by Konstantin Malofeev, a Russian oligarch with strong ties to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The four-minute video outlines the purported effects of a 750-kiloton nuclear detonation over Westminster, in the heart of the U.K.’s capital. The narrator describes the immediate devastation, predicting that areas within a 5-kilometer radius, including Camden, Kensington, and Brixton, would suffer the most severe destruction.
Simulation of a nuclear strike on London with a 750 kiloton charge
— Russian Market (@runews) September 23, 2024
Swiss mainstream media spreads propaganda video https://t.co/juyImHyJDj
Knowing that one Russian missile can carry up to 10 such charges. The consequences will be the same in any other city. But 🇬🇧 today is the… pic.twitter.com/EQpDmQBkBF
“Upon detonation, a fireball as hot as the sun rapidly expands, reaching a radius of 950 meters. Anything trapped inside this fireball is instantly vaporized,” the narrator states, adding that those affected “won’t feel a thing” because the explosion will take place too quickly for the human nerve response to kick in.
“Within the blast radius, the death toll could exceed 250,000 people, with a further 600,000 suffering serious injuries,” the narrator adds. In addition, the simulation claims that over 450,000 more would succumb to third-degree burns, debris-related injuries, and radiation sickness, bringing the total death toll to approximately 850,000.
The video further projects that over one million individuals would experience long-term trauma, with many of these injuries proving fatal in the days and weeks following the attack.
“In time, about 100,000 more will be added to the death toll,” they add.
The video, originally released three months ago, has been recirculated at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and Western nations to coincide with the U.K.’s ongoing deliberations over supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which would enable Kyiv to strike targets deep within Russian territory. The broadcast appears to be an attempt by Russian state-affiliated media to exert psychological pressure on British policymakers as they consider further military aid to Ukraine.
If Russia uses a nuclear weapon against a NATO country, then this is what will happen to Russia in response.
— Jake Broe (@RealJakeBroe) September 13, 2024
About 45 million Russians will be vaporized in the first hour. Not much of a life remaining for the other 100 million.
Maybe the people of Russia should stop supporting… pic.twitter.com/89AQSNwd2w
The release of the simulation comes amid other provocative scenarios, including a recent depiction of a hypothetical NATO nuclear strike on Russia. According to estimates from this separate simulation widely shared on social media, such an attack could lead to 45.3 million deaths across Russia.
The propagation of nuclear threat simulations by state-affiliated media like Tsargrad TV is a tactic often used to instill fear and influence public perception. These broadcasts can serve as a psychological tool to assert power and control narratives during international conflicts, particularly as tensions rise surrounding events like military aid to Ukraine. The ownership of Tsargrad by Konstantin Malofeev, a figure closely tied to Vladimir Putin, signals the underlying agenda of these broadcasts, which often coincide with geopolitical maneuvers and attempts to sway public opinion in Russia and abroad.