RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use his country’s nuclear arsenal to protect his country’s territory in his continuing war against Ukraine.

In a seven-minute televised address to the nation aired earlier this week, Mr Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of up to 300,000 reservists and said that Russia would defend its territory if occupied regions of Ukraine vote in favour of being annexed by the Russians.

So what would happen if Brighton were hit with a nuclear weapon? A clever interactive website, Nukemap, allows people to simulate the effects of a nuclear warhead being dropped in the city centre.

If a Topol SS-25 missile with an 800-kiloton warhead, currently in the Russian arsenal, was exploded above the Old Steine Gardens, an estimated 146,430 people would be killed, with a further 172,580 injured.

The initial fireball would instantly vaporise everything in a half a mile radius, including the Royal Pavilion, The Grand Hotel, Brighton Palace Pier, Churchill Square and The Lanes.

Anyone within a seven-mile radius would suffer third-degree burns, while people more than 12 miles away in Burgess Hill, Seaford and Worthing would receive the equivalent of a sunburn due to the intense heat.

A blast shockwave would then result, causing most residential buildings to collapse in a four-mile radius, with fires erupting across the affected area. This would impact areas as far as Portslade, Rottingdean, Patcham and the University of Sussex.

Some 11 miles away from the epicentre of the explosion, glass windows would be smashed, causing injuries and exposing houses to the effects of radioactive fallout. Flying glass is extremely dangerous, causing most civilian injuries during the Second World War.

Along with the heat and blast would come radiation, which would be carried by the wind. The effects would cause radiation sickness followed by death for those left alive after the blast and caught in its path.

While the UK government has not issued any advice on personal safety in event of nuclear war since the end of the Cold War, the US Department of Homeland Security says that people should get inside, stay inside and stay tuned to radio stations for official information.