Because of the war in Ukraine: The world is arming itself with nuclear weapons

by time news

The number of nuclear weapons in the world is expected to rise in the next decade, for the first time since the end of the Cold War more than 30 years ago. This is how a new report by a leading international research institute warns, against the background of growing tensions over the war in Ukraine, accompanied by Moscow’s nuclear threats.

Data from the Stockholm Institute for International Peace Research (SIFRI)’s annual report on nuclear weapons worldwide show that at the beginning of the year the total pool was 12,705 nuclear warheads, with 3,732 of them stationed on missiles and aircraft. This is a decrease of 375 warheads within a year, Of all the nuclear weapons in the world in 1986, towards the end of the Cold War.

According to the report, Russia has the largest pool – 5,977 warheads. It is followed by the United States – 5,428 warheads. It is followed by China – 350, France – 290, Britain – 225, Pakistan – 165, India – 160 and North Korea – 20. Although Israel has not declared itself a nuclear state, the report estimates that it has 90 battle heads.

Despite the decline in the number of warheads, the authors of the report warned that all nuclear states are renewing their reservoirs and making them more modern, and that in the next decade a renewed increase in the number of warheads is expected, not least due to the effects of war in Ukraine. “This is a very worrying trend,” said Dr. Wilfred Wan, director of the SIFRI’s weapons of mass destruction program. “Relations between the great powers have deteriorated further at a time when humanity and the planet are facing a range of urgent common challenges, which can only be addressed through international cooperation,” added the institute’s chairman and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Leven.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International yesterday accused Russia of committing war crimes with the publication of a serious report that more than 600 civilians were killed and more than 1,200 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv by Russian military bombs on residential neighborhoods – using banned cluster munitions, inaccurate rockets And mine blasts.

“The reuse of banned cluster munitions is shocking and another sign of the complete disregard for civilian lives,” said Donatella Robera, Amnesty International’s senior adviser on crisis response. “The Russian forces responsible for these horrific attacks must pay for their actions.” Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues on the ground in the town of Sverdansk in the Luhansk region of Donbas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky said forces on both sides were fighting “on every meter, literally.” His senior adviser Mikhail Podolyak urged Western countries to send cannons, rocket launchers, tanks and armored vehicles as soon as possible.

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