The U.S. Cities That Theoretically Could Face the Highest Risk in a Nuclear Emergency

The United Kingdom Faces Similar Devastation Risks

The United Kingdom has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, providing military aid and imposing severe economic sanctions on Moscow. This is why it is most likely that the United Kingdom would be a potential target for a Russian nuclear attack if conflict erupts between the U.S. and Russia. According to a report by Newsweek, Russian officials threatened to bomb the United Kingdom at least 35 times between February and July 2022 alone.

Cold War-era maps discovered in Britain’s National Archives reveal which cities Russian forces planned to target during that era. Central London, Edinburgh, Teesside, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull, York, Dover, Cambridge, Maidstone, Huddersfield, Wolverhampton, Coventry, and Sheffield all appeared on historical target lists. Experts believe these targets have changed little in the decades since, as they still house population-dense centers and important infrastructure. London alone could expect up to 4-5 megaton bombs, according to declassified government documents from the Cold War period. Glasgow and Edinburgh were expected to endure two blasts each of similar magnitude, which were 333 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.