WW3 fears grow as experts map minute by minute reality if Putin bombed UK city

Chilling comments from one ofVladimir Putin's closest allies have sent shudders across the world this week, as the senior minister discussed the possibility of unleashing "the most terrible weapons" against the UK.

Sergei Karaganov, the honorary chairman of the Russian Council for Foreign and Defence Policy who isoften nicknamed 'Professor Doomsday', recently shared his views on "breaking the back of Europe".

During an appearance on Russian state television, the 73-year-old said: "This European contagion must be eradicated. We need to prepare to strike, or at least make them understand that we are ready. It won't necessarily be a nuclear strike... but we must prepare."

Meanwhile, TV propagandistVladimir Solovyov, who advocates for nuclear attacks, could be seen grinning and chuckling away as he suggested that the historic university cities of Oxford and Cambridge could be bombed, so as to crush the British elite.

The pair painted a disturbing picture at a time when the Doomsday Clock is set at 89 seconds to midnight, as of January 28, 2025. And while it's thankfully unlikely that Russia will unleash such horrors on the UK, this development has naturally left Brits wondering what on earth would happen in this eventuality, and what steps could be taken to attempt at least some chance of survival.

With this in mind, a nuclear detection expert has advised Mirror readers what exactly would happen should President Putin bomb a UK city, and what residents should do next.

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Immediate fall-out

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek Group plc, told the Mirror: "If a nuclear strike were launched on a UK city, residents would likely be given some warning.

"For those outside the immediate blast zone, the priority is to get to shelter quickly, ideally the most central part of a building. Seal windows and doors with tape to reduce radioactive dust entering.

"Fill every possible container with water, such as sinks and bathtubs, as water supplies are likely to be contaminated after the explosion."

And while many would be tempted to flee in search of the safest possible place, Dr Basu, who has previously authored a White Paper on "rethinking our readiness for rapid response radiation monitoring in the face of nuclear incidents", has advised this may not be the wisest move.

He urged: "For the next two to three days, remain indoors, preferably in the most central part of your shelter, away from exterior walls and windows. Survival depends less on fleeing and more on shielding yourself from fallout, limiting exposure and relying on stored resources until immediate radiation levels begin to fall."

Grim map

NuclearSecrecy.com has created frightening Nuke Map tool, which aims to give a fair estimate of the potential damage caused by nuclear weapons. The brainchild of Alex Wellerstein, a science and nuclear weapons professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, site users can 'trial' various horrifying tools, including a formidable 800-kiloton nuke known to be currently sitting in Russia's arsenal.

The consequences of dropping this weapon over Cambridge, as jested about by Solovyov, would be nothing short of catastrophic. The nuclear fireball would engulf a radius of 2.97km squared, including the suburbs of Grantchester, Milton and Teversham, and the University's main campus.

As claimed by the Nuke Map: "Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to damage on the ground depends on the height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased. Anything inside the fireball is effectively vaporised."

The second zone, which would see "moderate blast damage radius", would cover an area of 134Km2. Within this site, buildings would begin to collapse, and fires would break out. As explained by this terrifying map: "At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings collapse, injuries are universal, fatalities are widespread.

"The chances of a fire starting in commercial and residential damage are high, and buildings so damaged are at high risk of spreading fire. Often used as a benchmark for moderate damage in cities.”

The third zone, with an area of 384km2, would also be severely impacted, with the nuke map stating: “Third degree burns extend throughout the layers of skin, and are often painless because they destroy the pain nerves. They can cause severe scarring or disablement, and can require amputation."

Meanwhile, those living in the light blast damage radius zone, situated around the edge of Cambridge, may well still suffer injuries, for example, to those who approach a window after seeing a flash. Given that flashes travel at quicker speeds than the pressure wave, this could still cause injuries to the population who may come up to a window after seeing a flash explosion.

According to the map's predictions, Oxford will experience similar results. The inner zone, including the university campus, would be instantly vaporised, with damage extending as far out as Woodstock and Bicester.

'Safest' places

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) states: "The best way to protect you and your family before, during, and after a nuclear blast is getting inside the centre of a building or basement.

"On August 6, 1945, Mr Eizo Nomura was in the basement of a building in Hiroshima, about 170 meters from ground zero. He survived the atomic bombing and died in 1982 at the age of 84. Most people within a few hundred metres of a nuclear detonation are not likely to survive, especially if unprepared.

"Be inside before the fallout arrives. After a detonation, you will have 10 minutes or more to find an adequate shelter before fallout arrives. If a multi-story building or a basement can be safely reached within a few minutes of the explosion, go there immediately. The safest buildings have brick or concrete walls. Underground parking garages and subways can also provide good shelter."

Given this advice, many would naturally assume that London, with its extensive underground network, would be the safest place, with the tube tunnels having allowed some protection from blasts during the dark days of the Blitz.

However, some experts fear that modern nuclear weapons could penetrate much further than the bombs of World War II, meaning even the 58-metre-deep Hampstead station would still be too close to the surface.

Andrew Futter, a Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, previously told My London that the Underground "probably wouldn't be deep enough if there was a direct hit".

Therefore, should a nation such as Russia target one of the UK's major cities - from London to Edinburgh - being outside of the blast zone would present the best chance of survival.

When it comes to the reach of nuclear blasts, several factors must be considered, including a radiation radius of 153 km2, a fireball radius of approximately 197 km2, an air blast radius between 321 km2 and 1,420 km2, and a thermal radiation radius of 12,960 km2.

Although these distances can vary depending on weather conditions, property researchers have previously compiled a list of places that could provide relative safety in this nightmare scenario. These 20 locations, listed by property portal EMoov back in 2017, are situated outside of the immediate range of blasts in major British cities:

Cornwall

Weymouth

Folkestone

Dover

Margate

Clacton-on-Sea

Felixstowe

Brixworth

Bideford

Aberystwyth

Skegness

Isle of Anglesey

Barrow in Furness

Lancaster

Whitby

Carlisle

Dumfries

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Inverness

However, some of these areas are still close enough to blast sites to be affected by radiation swept over by winds. Therefore, the remote island Foula, on the Shetland Isles, could well be the safest place in the UK in this instance.

Putin's 'chilling three-step plan'

Back in 2024, Professor Anthony Glees, from the University of Buckingham, spoke with the Mirror about the possibility of World War III, should Russia escalate tensions, offering his predications.

Professor Glees warned: "If the next war is a nuclear war, it will be up and running in hours and over in hours. There will be no winners, only losers."

The expert expressed his belief that tyrant Putin "will have become suicidal", proceeding to "attack a number of key sites in the UK and continental Europe, almost certainly without warning and without an ultimatum". Offering a bleak analysis, he shared: "There will be no time for anyone to do very much except prepare for deep impact extinction as best they can.

"However, if it is, as I believe, not going to be a nuclear war, then not only do things look very different, but it is entirely credible to argue it has already started."

With this in mind, Professor Glees predicted that the next World War would progress through three stages, beginning with threats from Russia, with Putin piling pressure on all post-1997 NATO members. If his attempts to "subvert our democratic system" prove unsuccessful, he would then move onto stage two - a "war of attrition", which would be fought with conventional weapons.

According to the expert, such a conflict would follow a "WW2-inspired blueprint" which would leave Brits struggling without adequate food or fuel. The professor predicted: "We would run out of fresh food in days. A massive Russian cyber attack on our critical national infrastructure would mean we can't get cash out of our bank accounts, we cannot pay bills, we might not get electricity, gas, and - if Putin wanted - he could try to turn out the lights."

He continued: "Petrol and diesel would be virtually unobtainable for ordinary people. Medicines would quickly be subject to severe rationing and would soon disappear altogether. Although we would hope the EU would continue to supply us with food, we would have to rely on the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, especially if much of Western Europe were to fall under Russian control. We would quickly see a black market for home-produced food and clothing."

Stage three, in Professor Glees' opinion, would see the establishment of "a British Quisling government" within a month, with Britain becoming a "Russian colony" within a year. According to Professor Glees, this would see the UK "run like Russia, with a secret police and forced labour camps for anyone showing the least opposition to the Russian regime", complete with Russian language being taught in our schools, and Russian or pro-Russian Quislings running public institutions.

He added: "The Royal Family would go to Canada and resistance leaders would try to establish a following from secret bases in Wales and Scotland."

Food and water supplies

Professor Glees also previously spoke with the Mirror about how much food and water Brits would need in the event of World War III, urging the UK government to follow in the footsteps of countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway, which have all issued survival guides advising the public how to endure such conflicts.

Considering the worst possible option, Professor Glees told us: "Everything to date depends on our Vanguard subs (in a decade to be Dreadnought subs) and their Trident nukes. If they are fired, it will be Armageddon day, so no survivors."

However, the expert does view this as "unlikely", instead suggesting: "But if, more likely, there's a conventional attack that's something we can prepare for - a week's supply of food, bottled water, paracetamol and loads of emergency Snickers bars as well as battery operated devices and a couple of charging units, loaded for a few days from the electricity supply which will probably be turned off."

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