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The number of online articles mentioning the keywords "nuclear" together with "Russia" or "Ukraine" and in combination with "war," "weapons," "conflict," "missile," "threat," "bomb," and "submarine" increased sharply worldwide in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. In that year alone, over ** articles published on the internet in ** languages contained the combination of "Russia" or "Ukraine," "nuclear," and "war." By 2024, this figure decreased to roughtly **.

Nuclear rhetoric during the Russia-Ukraine war

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, politicians across the world have spoken about the nuclear threat. As Russia holds the most nuclear warheads worldwide, there is a discussion on whether Russia could use nuclear weapons in the war. In ***, Russia suspended its participation in the New START treaty, a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the United States. Furthermore, the Russian government accused Ukraine of planning to use a so-called "dirty bomb," an explosive device with radioactive material, a claim dismissed by the Ukrainian government. At the same time, the fighting around the nuclear plant Zaporizhzhia has increased the risk of a nuclear accident. Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine's nuclear plant with the highest capacity.