global nuclear arsenal will rise for the first time since the Cold War

• According to a renowned conflict and armaments think-tank, the worldwide nuclear arsenal is projected to rise for the first time since the Cold War in the next years, while the chance of such weapons being used is at its highest level in decades.
• The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Western support for Kyiv has heightened tensions among the world’s nine nuclear-armed powers, according to a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).While the number of nuclear weapons fell slightly between January 2021 and January 2022, SIPRI said that unless immediate action was taken by the nuclear powers, global inventories of warheads could soon begin rising for the first time in decades.
• “President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert three days after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation.

According to a renowned conflict and armaments think-tank, the worldwide nuclear arsenal is projected to rise for the first time since the Cold War in the next years, while the chance of such weapons being used is at its highest level in decades.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Western support for Kyiv has heightened tensions among the world’s nine nuclear-armed powers, according to a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

While the number of nuclear weapons fell slightly between January 2021 and January 2022, SIPRI said that unless immediate action was taken by the nuclear powers, global inventories of warheads could soon begin rising for the first time in decades.

In SIPRI’s 2022 yearbook, Wilfred Wan, Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, said, “All of the nuclear-armed governments are growing or upgrading their arsenals, and most are sharpening nuclear rhetoric and the role nuclear weapons play in their military strategies.” “This is a really concerning trend.”

Read more: Russia could lose 40,000 troops in Ukraine, according to Zelensky

President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert three days after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation.”

He has also threatened countries that stand in Russia’s path with consequences “beyond anything you have ever seen in your entire history.”

With 5,977 nuclear warheads, Russia holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, approximately 550 more than the United States. The two countries control more than 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons, however SIPRI reported that China is expanding its missile arsenal with more than 300 additional missile silos.

According to SIPRI, the number of nuclear weapons in the world fell to 12,705 in January 2022, down from 13,080 in January 2021. Around 2,000 warheads – nearly all belonging to Russia or the United States – were kept in a state of high readiness after being deployed with missiles and aircraft.

“Relations between the world’s great powers have deteriorated further at a time when humanity and the planet face an array of profound and pressing common challenges that can only be addressed by international cooperation,” SIPRI board chairman and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said.

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