The "red lines" of nuclear war

When we hear the concept of nuclear war, each of us remembers the massive smoke cloud that appeared in the skies over Japan on a sunny summer day in August 1945. That year, the US dropped two nuclear bombs, taking the lives of approximately 200,000 Japanese people. Half a million people were exposed to radiation and fell ill. There are many documentaries where we can hear and understand what those people experienced during the bombing. Everyone who watches these documentaries wishes that such a war would never happen again.

Unfortunately, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the threat of a devastating nuclear war has increased significantly. In his latest speech on nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Moscow could use nuclear weapons against any country attacking Russia if that country is supported by a nuclear power. This means a change in Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine. Many commentators argue that Putin's statements are nothing more than a psychological operation with little validity. Putin's statements are intended only to frighten the leaders of countries that support Ukraine militarily and financially. In other words, we are witnessing a psychological war whose main theme is nuclear weapons. There are also those who say that the changes in the Russian doctrine point to a serious increase in the risk of a nuclear attack. Experts say that a nuclear attack is a very low probability, but not impossible. Let us also note that the share allocated to the military industry from the Russian state budget will reach 152 billion dollars next year.

Sergei Karaganov, one of Russia's most prominent experts, advocates for a limited nuclear strike in Europe to ensure that Russia's enemies take nuclear deterrence seriously. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and a former president, warns that Putin's words should make Ukraine and the West think.

Putin said he was "not bluffing" about the possibility of using weapons of mass destruction. Both Russia and North Korea have repeatedly accused the US of being "malicious in provoking nuclear war." UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as always, repeated his striking comment on the risk of nuclear war: "Humanity is one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation... This is madness," he said.

According to researchers at Princeton University, the worst-case scenario is that a nuclear war leads to the use of a large number of atomic bombs. Such a conflict would result in 85 million deaths from nuclear bombs alone within the first 45 minutes. North America, Europe, and Russia would be almost completely covered with the traces of atomic explosions. The effects of nuclear war would be horrific with explosions, fires, and radiation. Smoke from fires ignited by nuclear weapons would block sunlight, causing dark, cold, and dry surface conditions, leading to a nuclear winter in areas blanketed by the smoke. In short, this would be a kind of end of the world.

It should be remembered that in 1945, only the US possessed nuclear weapons. Over the years, the number of countries with nuclear weapons has risen to 9: the US, Russia, China, France, the UK, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. The US and Russia hold about 90% of the global nuclear arsenal, and the remaining countries possess nuclear weapons that are smaller but still incredibly destructive.

Meanwhile, what is happening in European countries? Some European capitals have nuclear bunkers dating back to the Cold War that have been restored. In Prague, a network of Cold War-era bunkers began to attract interest after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In Germany, it was reported that there has been a significant increase in recent visitors, especially young people, to a nuclear bomb shelter near Bonn that currently functions as a museum.

Nuclear weapons are weapons whose purpose is to deter the enemy from attacking or resorting to other military actions. I hope they continue to have such a character, because what is the use of winning a war when everything is ruined? This is the question that world leaders should ask themselves.

So, what is happening in Turkey regarding this issue? There is no doubt that it would be beneficial to inform the public about this matter.