Russia held a massive military parade in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversiary of the defeat of Nazi Germany on Friday. Vladimir Putin was in attendance alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping as Moscow flaunted its military prowess.
It comes after reports this week that Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for a direct military attack by Russia. The Kremlin has repeatedly threatened Britain with missile strikes, and there are concerns that there could now be an attack on the ground. However, officials fear that the UK is vulnerable and would be outmatched by Russia on the battlefield.
As reported by the Financial Times, secret documents revealed Russia’s nuclear hit list, which includes 32 targets across NATO. The report claims Russian forces were being trained to hit targets including a shipyard in Cumbria, a factory in Hull and an unknown site near Edinburgh.
The documents stress the advantage of using nuclear weapons early and suggest Russian warships are primed for an attack. Britain would likely be struck by ships from Russia’s Northern Fleet.
Russia’s main target is reportedly the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. It is also suggested that Putin has crosshairs on a factory in Hull and a shipyard where aircraft carriers are built at Rosyth near Edinburgh.
According to a different report, other places potentially on the list include Aldershot, Colchester and Portsmouth. Chatham, Tidworth and Salisbury also feature.
A Whitehall source told the Daily Express at the time: “The information includes details of a high-level attack in addition to a low-level strike. A Russian airstrike on UK soil would, of course, be a declaration of war, both on the UK and on the rest of NATO.”
A second map released last week shows the UK cities that would be impacted by Russian nukes. They include London, Birmingham and Manchester.
The leaked papers also revealed that Russia’s Baltic Fleet, based at Kaliningrad, would target France and Germany. The maps also show targets in Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, South Korea and Japan.
Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of NATO’s military committee, warned that civilians must be ready to be called up for military service. He said a full-scale conflict with Russia would completely change lives in the next 20 years.