French nuclear weapons test 1971 in Mururoa Atoll. A tactical nuclear weapon would not set off such a massive explosion.

DLNews Staff:

How devastating are tactical nuclear weapons?

The warning from the White House has alarmed the world! After Russia threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons, US President Joe Biden (79) spoke of a nuclear escalation ("Armageddon") and compared the situation with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

The White House later clarified that it had no intelligence information about an impending nuclear strike by Russia that would have provoked Biden's statements. But uncertainty remains.

Is the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 comparable to today's situation?

No, 60 years ago, Soviet nuclear weapons were stationed in Cuba, so the United States was under direct atomic threat. The United States, for its part, had stationed nuclear weapons in Europe and Asia with ranges as far as the Soviet Union. This put the two atomic powers face to face.

Russia's use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine is being discussed today. The country is neither atomic power nor a NATO member.

What are tactical nuclear weapons anyway, and how could they be used?

So-called tactical nuclear weapons can be launched on mobile short-range ballistic missile systems such as the “Iskander” shown here.

Tactical nuclear weapons have a lower yield than strategic ones, but they also have enormous destructive potential (more significant than the bomb on Hiroshima in 1945). Russia could initially detonate tactical nuclear weapons symbolically in uninhabited areas or on the high seas, such as the Black Sea.

The Kremlin could also use nuclear weapons against Ukrainian troops and supply camps. If a tactical atomic weapon detonates in a populated area, everything within a kilometer radius is highly vulnerable - the further away, the danger decreases significantly.

Does Putin alone decide whether Russia uses nuclear weapons?

In theory, it needs the approval of the defense minister and the chief of staff. But the Russian military is built exceptionally on hierarchy and obedience - and Putin is at the top.

PUTIN'S PRESTIGE PROJECT The Burning Crimean bridge collapsed.

What is the state of Russia's nuclear arsenal, and what threat does it pose to NATO?

What is certain is that Russia has a large number of functioning medium-range ICBMs. Some of these are stationed in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad (between Poland and Lithuania) and extend as far as Western Europe.

How likely is a tactical use of nuclear weapons by Russia?

︎"Putin's nuclear threats must be taken seriously. That's why the US has informed the Kremlin at a very high level that any use of nuclear weapons will have catastrophic consequences for Russia." Lange speaks of a "callous and comprehensive conventional military response by the US and NATO."

The world must hope that Putin takes this threat seriously.