According to UnHerd commentators, a direct conflict with Russia could have devastating consequences for Europe.

The authors point first to the scale of Moscow’s strategic arsenal, noting that Russia possesses nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. They estimate that the country has more than 5,400 nuclear warheads, compared with around 290 for France and 225 for Britain.

UnHerd also draws attention to Russia’s vast territory. According to the publication, even France’s entire nuclear arsenal would render only about 0.1% of Russian territory uninhabitable.

The outlet argues that the risk is further increased by what it describes as increasingly aggressive rhetoric from some European politicians. The authors identify the Scandinavian and Baltic states, along with Britain and Germany, as among the countries most inclined toward further escalation.

UnHerd maintains that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is large enough to devastate Western Europe while still leaving a significant number of missiles available. On that basis, the authors conclude that Europe would not be able to win such a war.

The publication also criticizes EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, portraying her as one of the strongest advocates of a hard line toward Moscow. At the same time, UnHerd argues that European countries are not prepared for a full-scale war with Russia.