How Britain would react to nuclear attack as Russia’s planned targets for UK were ‘leaked’

The idea of a nuclear attack on the UK is terrifying, and many people hope it never becomes reality. But some in Russia, especially those who support President Vladimir Putin, often talk about such an attack like it’s a real possibility.

They even go as far as calling the UK their “number one target” and say things like, “one Sarmat missile means no more Great Britain.” While that’s an exaggeration, it’s true that the UK is small and has many important places close together meaning just a few nuclear bombs could cause massive destruction and loss of life.

It’s been 80 years since a country used nuclear weapons in war, with the last time being when the U.S. dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Those attacks changed the world forever, introducing the threat of total destruction through nuclear warfare. Since then, the fear of it happening again has always lingered.

Recently, there were reports of leaked Russian documents listing possible nuclear targets across Europe, including some in the UK. These supposed targets included a factory in Hull, a shipyard in Cumbria, and a location in Edinburgh. Although these documents are from years ago (between 2008 and 2014), experts believe Russia could still follow such plans if war broke out.

Russia has over 4,000 nuclear weapons, so if it ever attacked, it’s likely they’d hit more than just a few spots. The UK military has run simulations on what a Russian missile attack would look like—and the results were horrifying.

When it comes to defending itself, the UK has a much smaller nuclear arsenal compared to Russia—about 225 warheads, with 120 ready for use. These are carried on four nuclear submarines: Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant, and Vengeance. The UK doesn’t point its weapons at any specific country but keeps them as a warning to others: if you attack us, we’ll strike back. This idea is known as “mutually assured destruction,” and it’s supposed to stop nuclear war from ever starting.

The UK has kept at least one nuclear submarine at sea at all times since 1969. The government says this is to make sure the country is always ready to defend itself, while also keeping the exact details of its weapons a secret to confuse any enemies.

If a nuclear attack happened, only the prime minister has the power to order a nuclear strike in return. Right now, that means the decision would be up to Keir Starmer. However, no one really knows what any prime minister would do until the moment came. Former PM James Callaghan once said he would have launched a strike if he had to, but admitted he would never forgive himself if he survived afterward.

If a nuclear attack destroyed the UK’s leadership, the response would come from something called the “Letters of Last Resort.” These are letters written by the prime minister when they take office and stored on each of the UK’s nuclear submarines. The contents are top secret, known only to the prime minister. In case the government is wiped out, the commanders of the submarines would open the letters and follow the instructions inside.

These letters usually offer four choices: launch a nuclear strike in revenge, do nothing at all, team up with an allied country’s navy, or let the submarine captain decide what to do. Whatever Keir Starmer wrote in his letters is unknown, and if the UK is never attacked, the letters will be destroyed without anyone ever reading them.

Let’s hope it stays that way and that the UK never has to face such a tragic and world-changing event.