The global nuclear arsenal is expected to grow in coming years for the first time since the Cold War while the risk of such weapons being used is the greatest in decades, a leading think tank said on Monday.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and western support for Kyiv has heightened tension among the world's nine nuclear-armed states, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a set of research.
While the number of nuclear weapons fell slightly between January 2021 and January 2022, the institute said unless immediate action was taken by nuclear powers, the number of warheads could soon begin rising for the first time in decades.
"All of the nuclear-armed states are increasing or upgrading their arsenals and most are sharpening nuclear rhetoric and the role nuclear weapons play in their military strategies," Wilfred Wan, director of the institute's weapons of mass destruction programme, said in its 2022 yearbook.
"This is a very worrying trend."
Three days after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation", President Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert.
He has also warned of consequences that would be "such as you have never seen in your entire history" for countries that stood in Russia's way.
Russia has the world's biggest nuclear arsenal with a total of 5,977 warheads, about 550 more than the US.
The two countries have more than 90 per cent of the world's warheads, although the institute said China was expanding, with than 300 new missile silos.
The institute said the global number of nuclear warheads fell to 12,705 in January 2022 from 13,080 in January 2021.
An estimated 3,732 warheads were ready with missiles and aircraft, and about 2,000 — nearly all belonging to Russia or the US — were in a state of high readiness.
"Relations between the world's great powers have deteriorated further at a time when humanity and the planet face an array of profound and pressing common challenges that can only be addressed by international co-operation," institute chairman and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven said.
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Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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