In view of the Ukraine war and the overall deterioration in the security situation, the nuclear powers are strengthening their nuclear arsenals. The Stockholm peace research institute Sipri warns of the increasing number of operational nuclear weapons.
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According to the peace research institute, all nuclear-weapon states worldwide are pushing ahead with their nuclear armament. In their annual report published in Stockholm on Monday, the researchers warn of the increasing number of operational nuclear weapons. "We are drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human history," said director Dan Smith. He called for nuclear diplomacy to be restored and international controls over nuclear weapons to be strengthened.
According to the report, the nine nuclear powers - the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - are continuing to modernize their nuclear arsenals. According to estimates, there are around 12,500 nuclear warheads worldwide, of which more than 9,500 are operational.
Around 2,000 warheads are kept on high alert, mainly by Russia and the USA. These were either stored in rockets or at air force bases where nuclear bombers are also stationed. According to the peace researchers, Russia and the United States together possess almost 90 percent of all nuclear weapons. Their arsenals remained stable in 2022, but transparency has decreased significantly as a result of the Ukraine war. The British government also no longer publicly announced the number of nuclear weapons in 2022.
Arsenal
in China is growing particularly strongly
The report shows a significant increase in warheads in China. The researchers expect that China's arsenal will continue to grow, so that the country could have at least as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by the end of the decade. India and Pakistan also introduced and further developed new types of nuclear delivery systems in 2022. The Indian weapons are now designed for longer ranges, including those that could reach targets across China, the researchers suspect.
With concern, refers to the generally intensified rhetoric of the states in relation to the importance of nuclear weapons. North Korea also continues to regard its military nuclear program as a central element of its security strategy. The researchers estimate that the country has now assembled about 30 warheads and has enough fissile material for up to 70 warheads.
Overall, global security continued to deteriorate in 2022, according to the institute. The background is also the war in Ukraine, which is visible in almost all of the topics examined in connection with armaments, disarmament and international security. But Africa remains the region with the most armed conflicts.
According to, 56 countries worldwide were involved in fighting, five more than in 2021. An estimated 10,000 or more people were killed in Ukraine, Myanmar and Nigeria. It is also likely that the Ethiopian civil war also cost tens of thousands of lives, but there is no reliable data on this. The total number of estimated conflict-related fatalities for 2022 was 147,609.