A simulated nuclear strike on London has been broadcast by a pro-Putin TV channel. The visuals of the simulation show how the blast would claim 850,000 lives and leave millions of casualties.
The four-minute video was shown on a propaganda channel in Russia as the U.K. debates whether or not to allow Ukraine’s military to use long-range missiles against Russia in its own territory.
The TV network is owned by Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Known as the “Orthodox oligarch,” due to his ties with the Russian church, the Malofeev Network originally aired the video three months ago, but footage has been recycled to intensify psychological pressure on Britain.
The video’s narrator details a nuclear bomb striking the heart of London, and while it is just a digital simulation, it’s meant to be disturbing. It begins with an explosion over Westminster, followed by a massive fireball and mushroom cloud rising over the city.
Iconic landmarks like Buckingham Palace, the Shard and other cultural sites are shown to be obliterated by the blast. The video then concludes by highlighting the inadequacy of London’s hospitals to cope with such a disaster.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to assert its right to respond to Russian missile attacks on its territory. This all comes on the heels of another troubling development, Russia’s test of a “doomsday” nuclear missile.
However, the launch ended in total failure, with a massive explosion destroying much of the testing site in northern Russia.
