News Beat
Bolton named by Russian politician on UK ‘strike list’
Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian senator and former deputy prime minister, revealed a number of locations across the country that would be top of Vladimir Putin’s target list if war broke out.
Among them is Bolton – likely due to weapons manufacturer MBDA having a site there.
The company plays a major role in building missiles and weapons systems and is a leading force in the defence industry.
The locations listed are based on the UK Government’s 2025 Defence Industrial Strategy, which outlines key military sites and infrastructure across the country.
How bad would a nuclear blast on Bolton be?
If a strike did occur and the Russians used a Topol SS025 800-kiloton missile, which they currently have in their arsenal, the entire town centre would be completely vapourised.
According to surface calculations from Nuclear Secrecy, this could cause an estimated 184,020 fatalities and 513,000 injuries.
Buildings stretching all the way from Egerton to Walkden would collapse and the blast would cause widespread fatalities.
Towns as far as Horwich, Bury and Prestwich would be within the thermal radiation radius, causing third degree burns, and the light blast radius would extend as far as Manchester.
The list published by Rogozin also includes two nearby Lancashire villages – Samlesbury and Warton – which both host BAE sites.
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Three sites apiece are in Scotland and Wales, two are in Northern Ireland, with the rest spread across England, mainly in the south.
Rogozin, who used to head up Russia’s space agency, warned the UK could become “deadly dangerous” and urged Russians not to send their children to school or university in the UK.
UK defence officials have not commented on the claims made by Rogozin.
