Seconds to Strike: Inside Britain’s Race Against Time Amid Leaked Russian Nuclear Target Plans

So, picture this: experts have clocked the terrifyingly short window Brits would have to spring into action if Russia suddenly lobbed a nuclear missile our way. Since Putin’s bold (or bonkers?) move on Ukraine in 2022, the idea of mutually assured destruction has popped up more often than your grandma’s fruitcake at Christmas—which, surprisingly, isn’t exactly comforting. Russia’s own hype squad hasn’t been shy either, boasting that a single missile could “erase” Great Britain, and thanks to some juicy leaks, we know cities from Hull to Edinburgh have allegedly made the hit list. Now, before you start frantically Googling bomb shelters or rewatching apocalyptic films, just how real is the threat, and more importantly—do we even stand a chance? Buckle up, because the countdown from launch to impact might just be shorter than your morning commute. LEARN MORE

Nuclear experts have revealed the estimated time in which Brits would have to react if Russia launched an attack on the country.

Ever since Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine back in 2022, discussions about the prospect of us all dying in mutually-assured nuclear annihilation have been cropping up all over the place.

Which certainly makes for cheery reading.

Russia’s main propagandists have not been quiet when it comes to claims about what damage a nuclear bomb would do to Britain, with one government mouthpiece declaring that ‘one Sarmat [missile] means minus one Great Britain‘ while various ‘leaked’ lists of targets revealed that Russia allegedly has the likes of Hull, Edinburgh and Cumbria earmarked for attack.

But what would happen if the unthinkable were to happen and Russia launched a nuclear attack on Britain?

How long would it take a Russian missile to reach the UK – and would we survive? (Getty Stock Image)

How long would it take a nuclear bomb to travel from Russia to UK?

In a rather morbid hypothetical scenario, if Russia launched one of its estimated 4,299 nuclear warheads westward, it’s believed we’d have anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes before impact.

According to the University of Leicester’s Professor Andrew Futter, who recently discussed our chances of surviving a nuclear attack The Express, he believes it would take as little as 15 minutes from launch to impact.

Which isn’t very long at all.

Meanwhile, Sky News stated that intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) can reach maximum speed within as little as 10 minutes, estimating a 20-minute window before impact in the UK.

How much warning would UK have before a nuclear attack?

Professor Futter states that UK officials would be notified of incoming nuclear attack through the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire.

Vladimir Putin isn’t shy when it comes to threatening nuclear war (DMITRY ERMOLENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“It wouldn’t give us time to do anything. Government officials might be OK, there is a bunker under Whitehall and some places VIPs can hide,” the nuclear weapons expert explained.

However, 15 to 20 minutes would be a significant improvement on the previous four-minute warning alert system which was in place throughout the UK during the Cold War, later being dismantled in 1992.

While Professor Futter notes that the UK would not be able to prevent a nuclear attack, due to its deterrent style approach, there would be enough time for the government to send retaliatory missiles eastwards via one of four operational submarines.

Could the UK survive a nuclear attack?

And now for the question likely to be on all of our minds, could the UK survive a nuclear attack?

The UK recently simulated the impact of nuclear strike on the country and the results apparently ‘weren’t pretty’, while Professor Futter notes that, while the scenario is unlikely, it wouldn’t take many missiles to ‘destroy the UK as a functioning state’.

If you’re feeling particularly worried, you could always take a look at the government’s advice on how to survive a nuclear attack if you wish to make sure you’re in the know.

However, ask anyone who’s watched 1984’s Threads and they’ll likely tell you that surviving a nuclear bomb would be less about ‘could we survive’ and more ‘would we even want to survive’.