from Alexandra Segond
Published on March 3, 22 at 12:17 pm Actu View my news Follow this media
On the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin waved the threat of nuclear weapons. (© gerasimov174 / AdobeStock)
He mentioned it for the first time on the fourth day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. February 27, Sunday, Vladimir Putin has swept the nuclear threatdeclaring to warn the “deterrent forces” of the Russian army.
Some question Russia’s ability to fire, such as the United States, for which these threats are “made.” Others, on the contrary, fear an escalation of tension. Especially since a rocket launch warning has already been activated on Sunday night in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
The reasons why there are many things to worry about when using a nuclear weapon. How this bomb works, what it is used for, what impact it can have on the population or which countries in the world have it: here what you need to know about this super weapon of mass destruction.
What is a nuclear weapon?
The images traveled the world. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, to end World War II.
The result: more than 200,000 civilians killed.
Specifically, the nuclear bomb a superpower weapon classified as a weapon of mass destruction. Even launched at a great distance, it can actually completely devastate an area of several tens (even several hundred) kilometers due to its technology, nuclear energy.
Videos: currently in Actu
And outside the area affected by the explosion, which raises the temperature to several hundred thousand degrees, the damage remains significant for both the population and the infrastructure due to thermal radiation, radiation and the explosion from the explosion.
Not one, but several bombs
There are two main types of nuclear bomb, recalls Futura-Sciences: the Bomb (for “atomic”), hydrogen bomb (for “hydrogen”) and N bomb (“neutron”):
The first nuclear weapon, the A-bomb, is based on nuclear fission heavy elements. The split into two of their voluntarily destroyed nuclear nuclei will detonate the bomb.
It is this principle of chain reactions that will release colossal energy and destroy everything in its path.
The second type of bomb, the hydrogen bomb, is based not on fission technology but on synthesis, which is much more powerful.
The hydrogen bomb has two stages. The first things as a matchin the sense that it carries an A-bomb used to trigger the second stage, in which the energy from nuclear fission will make it possible to fuse the nuclei of hydrogen atoms.
This formation of nuclei will lead to a huge amount of energy, power up to several thousand times greater than that of the A-bomb.
- Neutron bomb (known as “N-bomb”)
It is part of the third generation of nuclear bombs, more precisely, derived from bombs A and H. The bomb N also uses fusion technology. But, Larousse notes, unlike the other two bombs, it causes more nuclear radiation but less heat and shock.
The President of the Republic, the only one who makes decisions
The famous red button is the work of heads of state, as confirmed by the Ministry of the Armed Forces to actu.fr: “Nuclear deterrence is a reserved area of the President of the Republic” because he is also the commander of the troops.
Therefore, the president is the only one who can decide to use nuclear weapons, when he wants, where he wants. To do this, head to the “PC Jupiter”, located below the Elysee Palace, where the controls for the launch of the bomb are located.
It was during the infamous handover ceremony between the outgoing president and the new president that the nuclear codes were presented (in the presence of the chief of staff).
When Francois Mitterrand lost the nuclear codes … in dry cleaning
The exchange of nuclear codes between the outgoing president and his successor takes place during the transfer of power. An established ritual, but one that does not interfere with blunders.
As journalists Patrice Duhamel and Jacques Santamaria report in their book The Elysee Palace, Behind the Scenes and Secrets of a Palace, Francois Mitterrand lost the nuclear weapons codes for a moment. During the transfer of power, Valerie Giscard d’Estaing handed over a small plaque with the code, which Francois Mitterrand then put in his suit pocket. At the end of the day, forgetting the plate, the new president sends his suit to the dry cleaners … Only the next morning does he realize the stupidity and send for his clothes.
Transport and dropping of bombs are returned to them, air and submarine forces. “The Strategic Ocean Forces are implementing submarines with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (PLARB) and M51 (the ballistic missile that equips nuclear submarines),” said Florence Parley’s ministry.
The Air Force includes the Strategic Air Force (FAS) and the Nuclear Air Force (FANu), which operate in addition to the Strategic Air Force (FAS) of the Air and Space Forces. For the FAS part, the nuclear component relies on a three-member tanker, Rafale fighter and ASMP-A.
Ministry of the Armed Forces
Russia is most gifted with nuclear warheads
Nowadays, more than 22,000 nuclear weapons are owned by five countries members of the UN Security Council (USA, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, China) and, against the advice of the international community, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea, according to the UN.
If the Americans were the first to acquire the atomic bomb, during the Manhattan Project in 1940. Russia currently has the largest number of nuclear weapons. Russian warheads number 6255, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, ahead of the United States (5550), China (350) and France (290).
It should be noted that not all countries have the right to possess nuclear weapons, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, initiated by NATO in 1968. A new treaty signed in 2021 intends to go further, bans (and no longer by limiting nuclear weapons …
Above all, a deterrent weapon
However, recourse to nuclear weapons remains very rare. Its possession serves primarily to “prevent any country from harming the vital interests” of a country, “through the prospect of unacceptable damage to that country,” said the Ministry of Armed Forces.
[La dissuasion nucléaire] is strictly defensive, not country-specific, and would only be used in extreme situations of self-defense. This is a political strategy.
Ministry of the Armed Forces
However, many NGOs are alarmed. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) estimates that 2,000 nuclear weapons are “kept on high alert, ready for use within minutes.” »
Most nuclear weapons today are tens of times more powerful than those used in Hiroshima. A single nuclear warhead, if detonated over a large city, could kill millions and last for decades.
International Campaign to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons (Ican)
If nuclear weapons have been used only twice in history (Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II), more than 2,000 nuclear tests have already been carried out worldwide, according to the UN.
Was this article helpful to you? Keep in mind that you can follow Actu in the My Actu space. With one click, after registration, you will find all the news about your favorite cities and brands.