In a chilling display of the Russian regime’s complete disregard for human life, state-run Channel One recently aired a segment showing how Russia could wipe Britain out of existence by detonating a thermonuclear device under the sea. The clip has graphics of 500-meter-high tsunamis generated by the blast wholly submerging the British Isles, home to seventy-two million people. It describes how the attack would render the area an uninhabitable radioactive wasteland for thousands of years.1

In the segment, Channel One host Dmitry Kiselyov presents this attack as retaliation for Britain sending weapons to help the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russia’s invasion. But his segment, and the threat it represents, is evidence of why Britain was right to do this. Many thought the fall of the Soviet Union had marked the end of Russia threatening the West, but the Kremlin has continued to threaten Britain in the years since. Under Putin’s regime, Russia has repeatedly sailed warships through the English Channel, flown military aircraft into British airspace (as well as that of other countries, including Norway and Japan), carried out attacks in Britain using radioactive and chemical agents, and openly threatened Britain with war.2

Russia has firmly and unquestionably established itself as a threat to Britain and the civilized world. Further, its history of invading and bombing places such as Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine demonstrates its willingness to follow through with its threats. It is entirely in Britain’s self-interest to ensure that Russia is dissuaded from such action in the future and that Russia’s advance westward is halted and reversed. In its proper role as the protector of the rights of British people, the British government has a legitimate responsibility to neutralize this threat.

Fortunately, the British government acted quickly when Russia invaded Ukraine. British aircraft started ferrying weapons and supplies to Ukraine while Russian forces were massing on the border.3 Britain also provided on-the-ground training to Ukrainian fighters, showing them, for instance, how to use the state-of-the-art NLAW antitank missile system, which gave Ukraine a powerful edge against Russia’s antiquated ex-Soviet tanks.4 Against all expectations, Ukraine has managed to substantially defend itself and its citizens thanks to the dogged determination of its forces and the advanced technology it has received from allies.

Russia’s proposed attack would obliterate not only Britain, with its sixty-seven million inhabitants, but also Ireland, which has not sent weapons to Ukraine. It would also devastate the coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway. The fact that the Putin regime has no qualms about blitzing Ukrainian cities, destroying theaters packed with sheltering families, and shooting at fleeing civilians should make clear its utter disregard for human life and individual rights. The fact that the regime did the very same thing in Syria, Georgia, and Chechnya before should show that this is its modus operandi. The fact that it is openly threatening to incinerate, submerge, and irradiate a large portion of western Europe shows that it is a threat to all civilization.

The Putin regime’s video depicting and threatening an attack on Britain is sheer propaganda, not meant accurately to predict what would happen, but more to stoke Russian nationalism and hatred of the West. The animation shows the waves cruising unimpeded across Britain, apparently not affected by rising land and mountain ranges. The video is clearly designed to convince Russian people of their government’s strength, but the fact that this is what Russia’s government decides to show its population is deeply disturbing.

When deciding how to respond to Russia’s actions, Western governments should recognize the Russian regime for what it is: A despotic dictatorship bent on conquest with no regard for the lives or rights of individuals. It is a threat to all people of all countries. And countries that see this threat and can help to neutralize it should do so with as little risk to the lives of their citizens as possible. Arming the Ukrainians in their valiant fight against Russia is a good way to advance that goal.

In deciding how to respond to Russia’s actions, Western governments must recognize the Russian regime for what it is: A despotic dictatorship bent on conquest with no regard for the lives or rights of individuals—a threat to everyone everywhere.
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Endnotes

1. Samantha Berkhead, “Russian ‘Nuclear Tsunami’ Will Wipe Out Britain, Kremlin-Backed Media Threatens,” The Times, May 2, 2022, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-nuclear-tsunami-will-wipe-out-britain-kremlin-backed-media-threatens-jwsrg2z0t?&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=nuc&utm_medium=branded_social.

2. “Russian Warships Pass through English Channel,” BBC News, October 21, 2016, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37725327; George Allison, “British Warships Escort Russian Fleet through English Channel,” UK Defense Journal, January 21, 2022, https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-warships-escort-russian-fleet-through-english-channel/; Haroon Siddique and Andrew Roth, “Russia Responsible for Alexander Litvinenko Death, European Court Rules,” The Guardian, September 21, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/21/russia-responsible-for-alexander-litvinenko-death-european-court-rules; Gordon Corera, “Salisbury Poisonings: Third Man Faces Charges for Novichok Attack,” BBC News, September 2, 2021, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58635137; Andy Gregory, “RAF Confirms Scrambled Typhoons Were to Intercept Four Russian ‘Bear’ Bombers amid Ukraine Tensions,” The Independent, February 2, 2022, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/raf-russia-planes-uk-coast-b2006171.html; “Russia Report: UK ‘Badly Underestimated’ Threat, Says Committee,” BBC News, July 21, 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53484344; Paul Byrne, “Russia Warns UK There Is a ‘Serious Risk’ of War with Tensions Rising in Ukraine,” The Mirror, November 28, 2021, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/russia-warns-uk-serious-risk-25565986.

3. Dan Sabbagh, “UK Supplying Ukraine with Anti-tank Weapons, MPs Told,” The Guardian, January 17, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/17/uk-supplying-ukraine-with-anti-tank-weapons-mps-told.

4 .“The British-Made Weapon Helping Ukraine Repel Russia,” The Week, April 1, 2022, https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/defence/956302/british-made-weapon-helping-ukraine-repel-russia.

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