Even though Russia has “many more” nuclear bombs than the US and Europe, discussions about a possible nuclear war are not necessary, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Friday.
“There is no need to think about it [nuclear war]. And I would ask anyone to not mention anything like that,” he said at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
Putin added that Russian forces are “increasing their effectiveness,” about 27 months into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s defense industry has increased shell production by 20%, and its forces are “surpassing the capabilities of our enemies” when it comes to aircraft and tanks, he said.
Veiled threats: Putin has repeatedly made remarks on the possibility of using nuclear weapons. On Friday, the Russian leader said his country has nuclear weapons that are more powerful than the bombs the Americans dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, “but it won’t come to this.” Russia’s total nuclear stockpile is larger than the United States’, at around 6,250 total nuclear warheads, according to the Arms Control Association. The US has more than 5,500.
Legacy of nuclear war: Washington unleashed atomic bombs on both Japanese cities in August 1945, leaving years of destruction and psychological trauma on communities there.
At least 70,000 people were killed in the initial blast in Hiroshima, while approximately 70,000 more died from radiation exposure. The US dropped another bomb on Nagasaki three days later killing up to 80,000 people.
The US remains the only country to ever use an atomic bomb in war.
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