{"id":130837,"date":"2023-09-23T10:21:45","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T10:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=130837"},"modified":"2023-09-23T10:21:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T10:21:45","slug":"how-putins-advanced-emp-nukes-could-trigger-the-collapse-of-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/world-news\/how-putins-advanced-emp-nukes-could-trigger-the-collapse-of-society\/","title":{"rendered":"How Putin's advanced EMP nukes could trigger 'the collapse of society"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE – How Putin’s EMP nukes could trigger ‘the collapse of society’: Unstoppable blast from space would cut off water and energy, leaving citizens to starve or die in resulting panic-fuelled violence<\/h2>\n

In the midst of the relentless conflict that has gripped Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the world has borne witness to an array of devastating weaponry that has reshaped the landscape of modern warfare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From Moscow’s ominous Iskander missiles to the haunting presence of cluster munitions and the ever-menacing kamikaze drones, the war-torn region has become a crucible for cutting-edge military technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But now, a new and potentially catastrophic threat looms \u2013 the spectre of a Russian EMP strike.<\/p>\n

The Russian government has not shied away from openly alluding to a sinister end to the war in Ukraine, and media mouthpieces have issued a string of nuclear threats against not only Kyiv, but also its British and American allies.<\/p>\n

In reality, the deployment of a nuclear warhead on the battlefield in Ukraine, or in a spiteful attack against London or Washington DC is a very remote possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But an EMP strike emerges as a ruthlessly effective alternative, capable of plunging entire societies into chaos.<\/p>\n

With the help of military history and technology expert Dr William Forstchen, MailOnline delves into the chilling potential of such a strike, exploring the unprecedented havoc it could wreak in Ukraine – and in Britain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A Russian Sarmat-2 intercontinental ballistic missile launch<\/p>\n

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Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/p>\n

What exactly is an EMP weapon and how does it work?<\/h2>\n

An Electromagnetic Pulse weapon is effectively a nuclear bomb or missile detonated high above the Earth. An EMP effect is created by detonating a large nuke – with a strength of somewhere between 60-80 kilotons – roughly 200 miles above the Earth.<\/p>\n

The radiation of the nuclear blast is absorbed by the atmosphere, but the explosion also creates a massive electrostatic discharge known as the Compton effect.<\/p>\n

That cascades down to the Earth where every wire and electrical system basically acts as an antenna. The huge charge overloads the system and blows up the electrical grid, and also shorts the components of any electronic products.<\/p>\n

Non-nuclear localised EMP devices do exist, and work by releasing a burst of energy in the radiofrequency or microwave spectrum, which can overload and damage electronic components and systems. But these are only effective on a small scale – we’re talking within a few city blocks.<\/p>\n

What are the immediate and long-term effects of an EMP strike?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The immediate effect would devastate electrical infrastructure. Water and energy supplies would be knocked out immediately, and any heating system short of burning firewood is no longer available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cars, computers, phones, transport, banking… everything that uses electrical components or relies on electronic systems to operate ceases to function.<\/p>\n

Unless you’re living completely unsupported in the wilderness, this essentially takes away your access to water, heat and food – three elements of the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – and would essentially trigger a societal collapse as a result.<\/p>\n

The long-term effects of an EMP strike are therefore a dramatic reduction in population.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over weeks and months, most of the people living in cities would die of thirst or starvation – or be killed in panic and violence, and anyone who requires regular medical treatment would have no chance of survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Access to what little food and water supplies remain would of course be controlled either by the government and the military, or the most effective and violent armed gangs.<\/p>\n

In the US, Department of Energy studies estimate it could take up to 5 years to get just 20 per cent of the grid back online, by which point modern society would have all but collapsed – I imagine the UK would face a similar scenario.<\/p>\n

Is there any way to defend against an EMP attack?<\/span><\/h2>\n

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William R. Forstchen is a New York Times bestselling author of the One Second After series and a Professor of History at Montreat College in North Carolina<\/p>\n

An EMP strike is a line-of-sight event, and because the weapon is detonated hundreds of miles above the Earth, the target area is massive. We came to understand this in 1962 after the Starfish Prime nuclear test at Bikini Atoll.<\/p>\n

That bomb had a yield of 1.4 megatons – tiny in comparison to today’s nukes – but the EMP blast still disrupted electrical and communication systems in Hawaii over 500 miles away from the detonation point.<\/p>\n

There is no real way we can protect ourselves against an EMP blast because of the way in which it is deployed. Unlike the UK, the United States has an ICBM nuclear missile defence system – there are dozens of missiles on standby ready to intercept a nuclear missile and blow it up in space before it re-enters the atmosphere and hits the Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But an EMP strike relies on the author detonating the nuclear missile hundreds of miles above the atmosphere – the missile can be triggered within 15-20 minutes of launch, making it essentially impossible to intercept in time.<\/p>\n

On the ground we have very limited capacity to protect the grid against an EMP strike but it would require a major industrial upgrade. Many components that underpin US and UK grid systems are decades old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Replacement parts would be required, but most of these are engineered abroad and we don’t have an emergency stockpile.<\/p>\n

Authorities would need to embark on a massive upgrade programme that would involve designing and constructing key electrical grid components, such as transformers and substations, to withstand the effects of an EMP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This can be achieved through shielding and surge protection – but this would still only have a limited effect.<\/p>\n

What is the likelihood of an EMP strike?<\/span><\/h2>\n

In an address to the United Nations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy once said: ‘Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman, and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident or miscalculation or by madness.’<\/p>\n

It’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which an EMP strike from Russia comes as a calculated response to something which unfolds on the battlefield because the implication of such a strike would be WWIII.<\/p>\n

But in a moment of weakness or madness, it’s possible that Putin, if backed into a corner with power slipping away and opponents closing in, could in haste authorise such a strike.<\/p>\n

An EMP attack would open Pandora’s Box – it’s been 80 years since we’ve used nuclear weapons in anger, and that’s for a good reason – it would be a rapid and sharp downward spiral into mutually assured destruction.<\/p>\n

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In this file photo taken on May 07, 2022 A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher parades through Red Square during the general rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 7, 2022<\/p>\n

Dr Forstchen’s concern over a moment of madness – or even a plain accident – giving way to an EMP strike or nuclear war is not unwarranted.<\/p>\n

There have been a series of near-misses and technical mishaps since the first atom bombs were detonated that brought the world to the brink of total destruction.<\/p>\n

One of the most terrifying near-misses came when Stanislav Petrov, a Russian radar operator, made a split-second decision that prevented a catastrophic nuclear war when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were at their peak during the Cold War.<\/p>\n

On September 26, 1983, Petrov was on duty at a secret Soviet missile early warning facility when his instruments suddenly displayed the worst: multiple incoming American nuclear missiles on their way to Moscow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But instead of following protocol by launching a retaliatory strike – or even informing his superiors – Petrov trusted his instincts and doubted the accuracy of the data.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He reasoned that a genuine US attack would involve more than just a handful of missiles, and that the newly designed system had previously shown bugs and inaccuracies.<\/p>\n

His gut feeling paid off – analysts concluded that the false alarm reported by the system was likely triggered by a rare sunlight reflection on cloud tops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Petrov’s courageous decision not to react undoubtedly saved millions of lives and prevented nuclear war.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But with tensions between Russia and the West strained almost like never before, the potential for nuclear conflict – or a devastating EMP strike – can never be completely ruled out.\u00a0<\/p>\n