Cold War map shows 20 UK cities Russia could hit with a nuke

British defense officials once published a list of targets should Russia launch a nuclear attack on Britain, with 106 location markers as ‘likely targets’

These are the first 20 British cities believed to have been targeted by Soviet nuclear strikes during the Cold War, according to British government officials.

Tensions between Britain and Russia have escalated exponentially after Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale site in Ukraine on Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the attack as Russian forces launched missile strikes on Kiev and Putin’s troops lined the capital’s border in a bid to encircle the city.

British defense officials once published a map of the areas they believed to be most vulnerable to Soviet attack.

The map identifies 106 places the communist country could hit with nuclear missiles if it decides to take the war to Britain, the Daily Star reports.

Follow our live blog on the Russian-Ukrainian war here, with our reporter, Andy Lines in Ukraine

The ‘probable nuclear targets’ were signed off by the Prime Minister’s Office under former Prime Minister Edward Heath as the UK prepared for any Cold War involvement.

Targets at the time were to include major cities including Central London, Edinburgh Teesside, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull, York, Dover, Cambridge, Maidstone, Huddersfield, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Sheffield.

As well as affecting large population areas, the documents revealed that 23 RAF bases, 14 USAF bases, 10 radar stations, eight military command centers and 13 Royal Navy bases could also be affected.

Declassified documents held by the National Archives predict up to 150 nuclear missiles and an unknown number of nuclear submarine launches could hit the UK.

Although these 1960s simulations have likely changed since Edward Heath’s desk, the initial aims show how tensions between Russia and the UK have spanned decades.

But just yesterday (February 24), Vladamir Putin appeared to make a veiled threat of nuclear attack against any nation that tries to retaliate against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a public broadcast at 5.45 a.m. in Moscow, the Russian leader claimed there would be consequences “never seen in history”.

He said: “Anyone who tries to hinder us, let alone create threats to our country and its people, should know that the Russian response will be immediate and will lead to consequences you have never seen in history.

“All relevant decisions have been made. I hope you can hear me.

Russia already has a stockpile of 6,200 nuclear weapons, the largest nuclear bomb it has ever tested being the Tsar Bomba.

A nuclear bomb dropped on London could wipe out six million people with potential fallout engulfing Reading, Bedford, Southend and could even stretch as far as Brighton.

The Tsar Bomba test used only half of the 100 megatons of TNT that Russia was going to prepare for its launch.

The top 20 UK cities listed are:

1. liverpool
2. Cardiff
3. Manchester
4. Southampton
5. Leeds
6. Newcastle
7. Bristol
8. Sheffield
9. Swansea
10. shell
11. Teesside
12. London
13. Edinburgh
14. york
15. Nottingham
16. Plymouth
17. Dover
18. Cambridge
19. birmingham
20. Belfast