---
title: "This Video Shows Horrifying Devastation of US-Russia Nuclear War"
description: "It’s no secret that the U.S. and Russia have stockpiled enough nuclear weapons to blast our planet into smithereens. A new simulation called “Plan A” put together by researchers from Princeton’s Science and Global Security Lab paints a terrifying picture of what an all-out nuclear war could look like: 90 million “immediate casualties” including deaths […]"
date: "2019-09-16"
modified: "2019-09-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-horrifying-devastation-us-russia-nuclear-war"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "nuclear war"
  - "nuclear warfare"
  - "nuclear weapons"
  - "Russia"
  - "the digest"
---

# This Video Shows Horrifying Devastation of US-Russia Nuclear War

![A new simulation by researchers at Princeton University paints a terrifying picture of what a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia might look like.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/this-video-shows-horrifying-devastation-of-us-russia-nuclear-war.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Alex Glaser via YouTube/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Plan A

A new simulation by researchers at Princeton University paints a terrifying picture of what a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia might look like: 90 million "immediate casualties," followed by countless more from fallout and radiation poisoning.

"This project is motivated by the need to highlight the potentially catastrophic consequences of current U.S. and Russian nuclear war plans," reads an [official blog post](<https://sgs.princeton.edu/the-lab/plan-a>). "The risk of nuclear war has increased dramatically in the past two years as the United States and Russia have abandoned long-standing nuclear arms control treaties."

## The Escalation

A four-minute video uploaded by Alex Glaser, co-editor of the journal *Science & Global Security*, illustrates the horrifying mayhem that would ensue from a war between the U.S. and Russia.

https://youtu.be/2jy3JU-ORpo

The simulation starts with a single targeted attack from Russia at the border of Germany and Poland. U.S. retaliation and the involvement of NATO members escalates the war within hours, causing over 34 million immediate deaths.

"\[The simulation\] uses extensive data sets of the nuclear weapons currently deployed, weapon yields, and possible targets for particular weapons \[...\] to show the evolution of the nuclear conflict from tactical, to strategic to city-targeting phase," reads the blog post.

**READ MORE:** [Even 'Limited' Nuclear War Could Cause 90 Million Casualties in a Few Hours](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bjwv3z/even-limited-nuclear-war-could-cause-90-million-casualties-in-a-few-hours>) \[*VICE*\]

**More on nuclear weapons:** *[This Is What Would Happen if the US and Russia Nuked Each Other](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nuclear-war-us-russia>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)