What would happen in the first 30 minutes if Russia decided to use nuclear weapons on the USA
The effects would be predictably catastrophic
With the recent air strikes from the United States and subsequent retaliatory attacks from Iran, many people are wondering how close the world is to another globe-spanning war, with nuclear weapons the inevitable next subject.
Nuclear weapons have only ever been used twice in human history, with both occurring at the hands of the United States against Japan in August 1945.
The horrific devastation of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only contributed to the end of the Second World War, but have proven to be significant enough in their terror to convince any other nation from doing the same thing in the eight decades since.
On top of this, the development of nuclear weapons in a number of the world's leading powers has ensured, at least so far, that they'll never actually be used in combat as the threat of retaliation and mutually assured destruction would likely lead to the end of the world as we know it.
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With tensions between the most powerful governments seemingly fracturing by the week, however, many believe that the world is edging closer to the possibility of nuclear warfare, leading some to speculate quite how damaging it could be if a bomb was to hit the United States from a rival such as Russia.
One thing that's undeniable in the immediate minutes following the launch of a Russian nuclear warhead is retaliation from the United States, as satellites would be able to detect the attack within seconds, informing the president in the minutes following.
There would likely be a period of around 10 to 15 minutes for those in charge of the country to decide what to do, but it's almost guaranteed that they would settle on a counter nuclear attack on their own, launching before the attack coming their way would arrive.
Unless Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile defense scheme comes to fruition – which experts strongly doubt based on current information – the attack itself would strike its target on American soil and cause an incredible amount of damage.
Horrifying maps have shown where the most likely locations to be hit are found, and while the immediate thought would be major cities like New York, Washington D.C. or Los Angeles, it would actually likely be missile silos in the northwest or areas with strategically important infrastructure.
Millions would be expected to perish immediately due to the impact, with further substantial numbers dying as a result of the incredibly high levels of radiation that would spread through the air.
One simulation conducted by researchers at Princeton University estimated that roughly 34.1 million people would die within the first few hours following a nuclear attack, with another 57.4 million being left with serious injuries.
Additionally, even a small-scale nuclear attack – like one from India to Pakistan – could plunge 1.3 billion people into severe food insecurity, with one billion put at risk of starvation.
Many of the nation's most powerful and wealthy individuals would likely retreat into specially designed and top-secret nuclear bunkers aiming to avoid the effects of the blast, although they might be stuck down there a while as they wait for the radiation to pass.
Following significant death tolls, a lack of electricity or infrastructure, and heavily impacted food and water supply chains, modern society would almost definitely collapse — and while humanity wouldn't be completely wiped out, it could take decades, if not centuries, for society to recover.
Some believe that the chances of this actually happening are still extremely low, however, as the launch of any nuclear weapon is understood to guarantee the destruction of the sender and plunge the world into chaos.