How A Nuclear War Will Start - Minute by Minute

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Mr. President! Nuclear missiles will strike our country in 14 minutes. I know it’s your first day in office so I’m going to walk you through it, but you’re the only one who can authorize our nuclear retaliation in response and you’ve only got a few minutes to make a decision!
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Join us over on Discord to discuss and share your thoughts: kgs.link/Discord

[@Dark_Souls_3]

Holy shit, y’all were some of the first in a KZbin video🔥🔥🔥

[@exactingbirdy]

@@mystii- second?

[@akshatpatel1286]

2nd

[@folduh]

4th

[@Niklaboon]

5th

[@deltalord6969]

The fact that the entire explanation is said in extreme haste about only 5 minutes really amplifies the dread of the entire situation and how things can go south really quickly

[@bencolbert6732]

Well, all the explanation stuff would be left out because they would already know. so more real time info could be looked at.

[@Kyza324]

It only makes it harder for people to understand

[@anthosm]

​@@bencolbert6732who would already know what? On Trump's first day as president without any previous political experience you think he would already have any prior knowledge about any of this whatsoever?

[@MrPaxio]

holy shit, a video from kurzgesagt, once again about nuclear war, but this time its 8 minutes instead of 50, 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 i might actually watch it....?? naaaaaah, thatd make me wack

[@joshuabrigden4820]

nah bill gates just isnt as interested in this topic and cut donations

[@NorthoftheBorder]

This was very informative and well done and I hated every single second of it.

[@roycarney8854]

This is a crossover I never thought I’d see

[@lightningbolt171]

Hello man, love your vids

[@toolbaggers]

We live in a world where a Donald Trump could kill the entire planet if they can't drink a dozen Diet Cokes per day. The US and Russia should not be allowed to have the ability for a single citizen from one of those countries to have the ability to end the world. The entire world needs to boycott these evil countries until they can behave and not selfishly threaten death for everybody.

[@scientificnameofpigs]

Me too

[@mesa9724]

This was not well done at all. They mention one single person (President) can launch a nuclear attack which is false and ridiculous. Just more fearmongering and ridiculousness.

[@Desperajoe]

Man, I am actually in VR and saw you guys uploaded 2 minutes ago. I hit the video up IN VR. And the start was so literally so bizarre. This couldn't have been better, lmao

[@luff675]

What VR set do you use?

[@Louis14022]

wait what you can whatch youtube in vr?

[@ekokepe]

that's an ultimate VR experience I guess haha

[@Sarahbryson321]

⁠@@Louis14022yes you can

[@My_Honest_Reaction_1]

💀💀

[@crowsenpai5625]

It’s amazing/terrifying how the world is in a soft yet constant state of “on the brink of total annihilation” just because like 7 guys can’t get along.

[@tobithiele2673]

That statement is very naive

[@Nokchassipnomat]

​@@tobithiele2673Well, then why don't you say something mature and insightful, Mr. book smart?

[@MaDrung]

@@Nokchassipnomat he makes a good point. Public is usually naive as it's not their main subject of expertise. World is more complex than laymen realize. Therefore it's easy to make such beliteling statements, thinking you're smarter or more well intentioned then everyone else who's main occupation it is to deal with all this shit.

[@Nokchassipnomat]

@@MaDrung So, do you mean that Tobithiele2673 and YOU have a "professional" understanding of the situation of people who are politically influential enough to start a nuclear war, and my accusations are not valid? To me, YOU and Tobithiele2673 seem to be a loser who feels superior and can't get the point straight by looking at a sentence simplified to help understand and thinking, "This guy is naive."

[@d.robert8471]

​@@Nokchassipnomat"a loser who feels superior" this statement better describes yourself given your overblown and unnecessary defensiveness at a simple remark

[@sp_ce.]

The incredible part is that Vasili Arkhipov wasn’t even supposed to be on that submarine. I believe he had a choice and the fact he chose that one was a sheer coincidence, and one that may have saved millions or even billions.

[@Disappointed_Philosoraptor]

billions, and also quite likely finalise the extinction of our species. There are not enough easily accessible resources left on the surface of our planet to sustain a second industrial revolution. If we go back to the bronze age, there is no second chance for us to reach the space age and spead to other planets, which is the only way to make sure we do not inevitably go extinct. Eventually, our planet will become inhospitable to life one way or another, and then we are gone for good.

[@ividboy7616]

I actually believe that moment was our encounter with the great filter and we passed it by sheer luck

[@VenstaMusic]

​@@ividboy7616I wish it was. Sadly the nukes are still here proving me otherwise.

[@ShapezPuller64]

The climate is our great filter imo - if we can't figure out how to keep it alive, we'll wipe ourselves out. The rich will die last, of course, but we won't make it. The filter claims another. Or maybe its first. Dumb way to die, either way.

[@jacksonblack9408]

@@ividboy7616 I believe that was the world having a Quantum suicide moment, and the only reason we exist to be thankful for it is because we wouldn't exist in the other potential futures to have perceived it.

[@burneraccount122]

The funny thing about the nuclear submarine during the Cuban missile crisis was that the system only needed 2 officers to authorize and both the captain and 1st mate agreed to do it but at that time there just happened to be a higher-ranking officer there at the moment and his vote overide the 1st mate so it didn't go through. absolutely pure coincidence and we were so lucky to have that man aboard at that time.

[@Giotsche]

In situations like this, I can't just think of coincidence

[@fios4528]

@@Giotsche that's survivorship bias. You only have the ability to consider there being some grander reason behind this because the scenarios in which it didn't happen would be ones in which you wouldn't be around to contemplate how things ended up here.

[@maymayman0]

How do you "just happen" to be on a submarine???

[@jpheitman1]

Vasiliy Alexandrovich Arkhipov, the man who saved the world.

[@fios4528]

@@maymayman0 because you're assigned to it. He didn't materialize out of quantum foam

[@Efthimisko]

Discussing about nuclear war in a vacuum might be grim enough, but seeing it unfold moment to moment really puts into perspective how gut wrenching the whole ordeal is. The first person point of view really helps sell the effect, I have to say.

[@namantherockstar]

Nutshell inspires me.. My parents said if i get 50K followers They'd buy me a professional camera for recording..begging u guys , literally Begging...

[@somedudewhoexists]

@@namantherockstarI’ve seen you before

[@paulstelian97]

Those of us close to the Ukraine war and who took the Russian warnings of using nuclear retaliation shall Crimea be recovered by Ukraine take it even _more_ seriously. Hah.

[@MaxSchity]

Yes, gripping to say the least.

[@nneeerrrd]

​@@paulstelian97You well aware that this video is targeted at the Western people, right? In china KZbin is *NOT AVAILABLE!* In russia the 85% of people are supporting the war. So the whole point is aimed at western democracies to exploit free speech and undermine their nuclear deterrent forces. Is this anti-West channel now?

[@GCWFilms]

This video got to me! The pacing, the dialogue and the animation are insane! This 9 minute video made me feel more than most of the feature length films I’ve watched in my life. That’s why I love this channel!

[@DrOSami]

Stanislav Petrov, 'The Man Who Saved The World' , a former Soviet military officer. In 1983, he was on duty when the Soviet Union's early warning satellite indicated the U.S. had fired nuclear weapons at his country. He suspected, correctly, it was a false alarm and did not immediately send the report up the chain of command. Petrov died at age 77.

[@Roope00]

He was punished for his brave act because he didn't follow orders by his superiors who had no second thoughts.

[@I-Stole-Your-Toast700]

@@Roope00 I was bouta say, "Did he suddenly disappear one night with no traces of where he went?"

[@BushidoBrownSama]

Hero frfr

[@amadeus.k331]

The Soviets ... now Russians, seem to have quite a bit more maturity, common sense and yes, intelligence, than any "leaders" (I use that term loosely) found in NATO or the US, unfortunately. China's nuclear arsenal is insignificant, and is grossly overstated by the CCP to make them appear more powerful than they really are, where as the number of warheads (thermonuclear and nuclear) possessed by Russia and (probably) the US are understated, to make it seem that they actually followed that treaty to the letter - they did not. But as long as people are stupid enough to keep voting in leftist globalist deep state puppets, like they have over the last 50 years (only exceptions being Trump and Carter) who are hell-bent on starting useless wars, nuclear war is a mathematical certainty - not if, but when...

[@vargasbasti]

America would have retaliated. America is evil. Ask Japan. Nuclear war is a thing only bc America. Thank you gringos

[@corrupt1user]

Vasili Arkhipov wasn't just an officer, but the head of the fleet; he had achieved fame previously during the "widomaker" incident.

[@alpal4245]

I may be mistaken but pretty sure he didn't even have to be on the submarine, like, it could've been possible that just the two officers and the nuclear option would've been used

[@DailyClipsoftheworld]

​@@alpal4245it's True

[@iplaygames8090]

and it wasnt just because they didnt have contact with moscow but because US destroyers were dropping training depth charges on them.

[@corrupt1user]

@@iplaygames8090 And the sub's air conditioning failed, the battery was low, and the CO2 levels elevated, making everyone on board absolutely panicky and giving them ONLY the options of "fire torpedo" or "surface/surrender" with no time to reason out the choices.

[@jamesdinius7769]

In fact, him being the head of the fleet is the only reason his authorization was required. Standard protocol only required two authorizations, the ship's captain and the political officer. However, the fleet commander's authorization was also required if they were aboard.

[@torch_k8110]

I’m happy that you mentioned Vasili Arkhipov! He’s such an unknown the the average person. It is a miracle because the Soviets usually only had 2 people to make that decision, but because he was a high ranking officer the sub he was on needed his permission.

[@atomicskull6405]

Nobody is pointing out that russian subs don't need launch codes they can just do it independently of the chain of command. UK ballistic missile subs have a similar system in place, if london goes quiet they open a safe with the "letter of last resort" and follow the instructions.

[@torch_k8110]

@@atomicskull6405 so true, pretty insane that only a couple officers in the field could’ve just decided to start a nuclear war

[@Dramn_]

@@doncomputer5931 poor bait

[@teamok1025]

Read this comment twice Did you see the "the the"? Why do your brain ignore the 2nd the? Or are they?

[@torch_k8110]

@@teamok1025 oh lol oops, the first one was supposed to be “to” idk what happened. Oh well. If it’s annoying I’ll change it

[@MegaMeco2]

*clicks button * Assistant whispers to General : “uhh Sir we just got confirmation that it was a firework show , False flag “

[@MindinViolet]

I find it both horrifying and moving to consider that we are only alive today because of a few good, sane people who made the decision in an intense situation not to act, not to launch.

[@apex9806]

They were all sane. The ones who turned the key, and the one's who did not, all sane, had different reasons for the decision. Don't hate on the people who turned the key, they only had mere minutes to try to save millions before they too die in the next 5 minutes. The one's who didn't turn the key, the thought it's not worth killing more even if our survivors get invaded later on, if we are exterminated like ants in seconds, a complete genocide of our race, then so be it. Both are admirable decision, ones that I pray never get to be made by anyone, but you can never say either is wrong.

[@BurntFaceMan]

Excellent point well made sir.

[@tracytron7162]

"Good" people my fucking ass

[@eggycarrot]

​@@apex9806seriously you got it right although OP doesn't have nuance , being in that position far from black and white

[@awbays]

@@apex9806 Hard disagree. I hope the men who turned the key can't sleep at night knowing they almost ended our world with their idiocy.

[@TheJerbol]

The Vasili Arkhipov story is fascinating, a great wiki read for any interested. He was actually the regional commander of multiple submarines iirc, and because of this fact whatever submarine he was serving on was the _only_ one that needed 3 officers to sign off on, all the others only required 2. The circumstances are insane

[@violetsisreal]

Hearts pounding

[@beanapprentice1687]

Wow… humanity is so fucked up man.

[@TheJerbol]

@@beanapprentice1687 agreed, but we're a pretty logical consequence of what 100k years of evolution versus 200 years of exponential technological growth have created. Nature plans for 20-30 years, modern humans live ~80, our brains are shit at this stuff.

[@finlaycraig1810]

Things like this make me think maybe us humans will make it galactic eventually. So lucky

[@w0ttheh3ll]

@@finlaycraig1810 past luck is no indication of future luck. in fact, if you think about it, we wouldn't be here without having gotten lucky so, so many times in the past. so past luck is a necessary condition of our current state. but that doesn't mean anything for the future. If you toss a fair coin a hundred times and get heads every time, does that change the coin? No. You've still got 50-50 chances on the next toss.

[@Tjalve70]

There was also the time when the US missile detection system in Greenland went live. The rising Moon was interpreted as a missile attack. And possibly the only reason why USA didn't "retaliate", was because someone remembered that Khrushchev was in New York at the time. And it was considered unlikely that USSR would launch an attack while their leader was in USA.

[@jsl151850b]

Actually.... Two birds/One stone for a coup.

[@Maaseruu]

@@jsl151850b if its a coup, then involving other country is just more problems to handle

[@kimgkomg]

​@@MaaseruuI imagine any coup would've probably wanted America on their side too. We would've been more than happy to sponsor a collapse of the Russian government

[@Tjalve70]

@@jsl151850b"Yay! We have now killed the leader of our country, and we get to rule. Aaaand we're all dead." Not the most effective coup I can imagine.

[@ryomaru2]

"Considered unlikely" more like flat out improbable.

[@egames910]

Perfectly made video with great attention to detail. Quick and straight to the point, used fake countries to remove any controversy, and small details like the general's uniform disappearing and reappearing when they have a visual representation like it was actually a green screen. (4:42)

[@RealMaltigow]

We're lucky that Vasili Arkhipov was in that particular sub. It's not necessarily an heroic act as sometimes depicted, but certainly an excellent decision making under pressure from a proven officier. Firing was a lose-lose. If total war had already started, which was uncertain, it would've make next to no difference to launch. If it didn't, launching would've been the biggest mistake and crime a human has ever committed since using cream in carbonara.

[@stephenlarson5875]

Or putting raisins in cookies.

[@criarinobr2682]

or putting pineapple on pizza

[@b1ff]

@criarinobr2682 One of the biggest mistakes humanity has ever made, followed immediately by raisins in cookies.

[@zhwzh_]

Exaclty, how in the hell responding a nuclear assault with another one is the "sane" option

[@Slurp_Durp]

​@@b1ffPINEAPPLE PIZZA AINT BAD THO, Hawaiian pizza has pineapple with ham which is the better option but still!

[@TimeBucks]

This video was eye opening.

[@LienPhanThi-tn6qx]

Nice

[@ajsweety4077]

Very nice

[@artisinghsingh4460]

Nice

[@amitsarkar4439]

Nice

[@nazkhan3506]

👍

[@anothersquid]

I was in the air force in the '80s. This stuff was taken very seriously. We had regular nuke drills as part of the training and evaluation plan.

[@myspam4454]

thank you for serving

[@Knightly_Mapping]

what country?

[@XG_]

I'm in the US Air Force currently and seeing this video is pretty spot on with how jam packed things can get durring missions. To be honest I couldn't imagine how stressful this would be for the officers and NCOd involved if this was real 😮

[@kovona]

Was it usually done before or after the lunch buffet?

[@pc12gauge]

​@@XG_ dont worry, they pretty much gonna be made into plasma without even notice. You too

[@ButchersNailsEnjoyer]

I hate how the people who decide when total annihilation happens are in bunkers.

[@ranzigerkaefer]

Yeah, but imagine being in the center of a nuclear explotion. You won't even feel pain or the impact. I guess you won't even know what's happening. The one in the bunker though, suffers over years, till he dies anyways by starvation or other things.

[@ZR3009]

This POV style video for the first 5 minute really sales the desperate decisions feeling from the topic. Well done!

[@Daniel-rd6st]

Gives you some inside on how Stanislaw Petrow must have felt. All he had to go on was a detected launch from the satelite system and just minutes to decide to order a retaliation strike. He decided against it, because he fought, that if the USA should attack, they wouldnt just send a couple of warheads. Luckily he didnt know the NATO doctrine of sending in a couple of missiles first to neutralize high value targets (maybe hoping that the enemy would hesitate when detecting only a few missiles) before launching a full strike. And it got even worse, when the NATO conducted a military exercise called "Able Archer" on 9th November 1983, simulating a full scale nuclear exchange. Russia interpreted it as preparation for an immediate attack and basically made every nuke they had ready for launch. When the british secret service reported how extremly nervous Russia was GB and the USA made an effort to deescalate the situation. It was a turning point. I often wondered how i would react in Petrows position. But i always come to the same conclusion. When the missiles are already flying, the war is already over. I am dead. My family is dead. My friends are dead, most of the population is dead. Millions of innocents dead. The only thing i could do would be to do the same thing to the enemy. And not just the enemy. Because there is so little time targets are preprogrammed. You wouldnt just hit the country that launched the attack (which you might not even know, when the attack gets launched by submarines for example) you would hit any target considered a threat. Personally i dont think that i could hit the button. Because at the end, what would be the point?

[@danisob3633]

@@Daniel-rd6st none. no point.

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

Can't imagine being the general in that situation trying to accurately explain everything as fast as possible. Part of me doubts the general would actually have that much restraint. If the general truly believed they may die at any moment and pushing the button was the only good option, they'd probably do it themselves.

[@anderstermansen130]

dont worry, a nuclear war is never going to happen.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@Daniel-rd6stoh damn, I didn’t know that bit about the NATO doctrine of misdirection. I’d always agreed with his thinking, and that’s probably why this video said hundreds of launches were detected to make it undoubtable, but knowing NATO planned around that really adds pathos. Because that means what he “should” have done was retaliate immediately since it matched the profile 😨

[@TheAdvertisement]

1:21 I like the detail that when the President peers to his left into the bunker, the general's voice pans to our right ear for a moment with headphones. 4:36 Omg and the fact the, because the general's uniforms is green, his uniform is momentarily keyed out by the greenscreen before being fixed.

[@nefariou5]

the attention to detail is what makes this channel masterful

[@ericlin2611]

As someone passingly familiar with the Cold War, the moment the general said the enemy wasn't using their entire nuclear hoard and that the satellite system was new, I had the sinking feeling it was a sensor glitch. This sorta uncertainty only adds to the terrifying stress someone would experience in this situation. Edit: yeah I know it was confirmed via other means afterwards, but it doesn't change the nagging feeling in the back of your head that this is all a mistake, and you may be the one to end humanity for it.

[@adr2t]

Yea thats what I was looking out for. The small details to see if it was a mistake/glitch in the machine of many human errors.

[@Dantick09]

Using all their weapons would open them up to get nuked themselves by another country

[@Dantick09]

The enemy made it look like a glitch on purpose, timed it to the new system

[@ddd4040]

​@@Dantick09Or did they?

[@Sushi_the_Idiot]

Oh well then I just killed humanity

[@jhwblender]

Wow!! This was amazingly done. Immediately sucked me to the story. Love this animation style. Would love to see more of it.

[@mx_cre8tivename]

This is by far the most frightening video you guys have made. It really hits on how dangerous and final a nuclear war would be. You guys are amazing keep it up

[@gormauslander]

It could literally happen today. We are never more than one slipup away from complete species extinction

[@smallSphere69]

​@@gormauslanderLet it happen. After 100 years of that war there'll be a golden civilization with few population and global warming free Earth.

[@cinemasurge1851]

@@gormauslanderluckily even if that did happen there are some bunkers that would survive and keep at least some sneaky humans alive

[@gormauslander]

@@cinemasurge1851 lucky how

[@ShinChara]

They didn't talk about second strike capability. This video isn't how it would happen.

[@Asmallcorneroftheinternet]

My personal favorite near nuclear war story has to be that of Stanislav Petrov. Who, in 1983, had the litteral power of a God. He was the one who could decide whether or not to end the world. As his radar reported, five missiles headed straight toward major Russian cities. If he had followed his orders and reported this, he would've started a war. Except, he knew something, the U.S., if they were at war, would not only fire five missiles. In what has to be the most tense moment of his life, he simply stood there and let the "missiles" fall. What a shock. He was right. He reported the incident, and it forced the Russians to fix the system. If it had been literally any other man, we might not be alive.

[@sushiwushi5335]

Even in a hellbent earth, with power hungry leaders glad their are still some sane people throughout history.

[@Optimistas777]

This story is literally in the video, Petrov was the third man

[@jhawk1229]

@@Optimistas777No that was Vasily Arkhipov

[@lilith4961]

​@@sushiwushi5335thats what amazes me as well

[@189Blake]

​@@jhawk1229lol, I'm thankful our fate was in Soviet hands, taking into consideration Japan, I'm not sure if Americans would have been equally coldheaded 😅

[@unprofessional_personel]

The animation is so much more advanced compared to previous videos because of lip-synching. Truly an amazing display of talent in the team who worked on this

[@jerrygreenest]

They couldn't do lip-syncing when acting characters were ducks. It's an unusual episode with people in main role

[@teamok1025]

​@@jerrygreenestye

[@fathog209]

This is going to age well.

[@WCAPY-VR]

We ain’t going to know when it’s right. WE LL BE DEAD

[@PatrickLenihan-zp8xi]

I hope not

[@IsmaGF85]

This was one of your best videos yet. And the fact that you mentioned Arkhipov, the man that actually saved humanity, was very special.

[@oxymoron02]

I was hoping he'd be mentioned-- that single time was THE closest the world ever came to ending, and that amazing man took a second to think, "What if...", ultimately saving billions of lives not just from when it happened, but into humanity's future as well.

[@SicMundus24]

But he was Russian. That means he's bb....bbb .. bad RIGHT?!

[@xBintu]

​@@SicMundus24🤦

[@thegamingpuppet8381]

@@SicMundus24you have a sight and vision of a rhinoceros or what

[@corncob567]

@@SicMundus24you should consider that he was still on the side that would’ve initiated nuclear war. He just had his head on straight considering they literally were just assuming nuclear war had begun.

[@eclipsezero6103]

The fact that everything was summarized and you are given a decision immediately, especially in first person POV, makes everything much more stressful. Amazing.

[@casualbird7671]

​@FantaGuyXLivego away

[@dralberthofmann]

I was so stressed watching that. Very effective.

[@DLxxx]

My anxiety was going crazy while watching this (especially since it caught me off guard). This was super informative, but NOT pleasant to watch, lol

[@rubensabatini7265]

​@FantaGuyXLive🤡

[@jakehix8132]

@FantaGuyXLiveCan your parents make a channel so that I can follow them out of solidarity in not getting said camera?

[@grfrjiglstan]

I'm glad you mentioned that even though the old silo nukes may not all work, this is still an apocalyptic threat.

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

Is that why they told you that? Or is this really not a nuclear war? In a nuclear war they would've fired everything they have. So why didn't they? You know there are infrared signatures "consistent" with launches in 20 of 100 locations. So what's actually happening?

[@jordyboy62]

​@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoatthat's kinda the point of the video. You don't have all the information and you have to make a decision. You don't have time to question why they didn't fire everything.

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

​@@jordyboy62 Yeah, that's why I exp- y'know, nevermind... Yup you're right guys, good job.

[@kwikdahl]

@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat Thing is many believe Russian nuclear missiles might be in the same sorry state as the rest of their army and that we shouldn't be afraid of their nukes. Even if 5% only work, that is still 5% too many.

[@magnuswright5572]

​​@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoatNo tactical mind would ever decide to expend all their resources on a first strike, especially when 20% of the arsenal is probably already enough to literally end all life. The point is that it doesn't matter why they didn't launch them all, because launching more wouldn't change anything anyways.

[@LimoDieFlasche]

And now we're almost at a nuclear war... Can't believe this escalated that quickly

[@BrookesDaddiesMommy]

we arent, youre just biting into the fear mongering of the media, guarantee you russia has 0 intentions of nuclear war, especially since he knows trump was just elected

[@jhdsfalsjhdfjashdkhvjfldld8301]

@@BrookesDaddiesMommy There are 2 moths left odf Biden in office... Don't claim victory that quick. If by january we are still alive, it will be a miracle.

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

Arkhipov is one of the greatest true heroes in global history. Without him on B-59, it's almost certain that nuclear war would've broken out. The man single-handedly saved the future of everyone alive today and he should be celebrated for that.

[@mmdestiny3]

Him and Stanislav Petrov.

[@chrispoop]

yes but russians are evill buuh buuh biden is good man :)...

[@rajveerkanojiya2985]

the biggest villains in human history cause of them I exist 😢😭cause of em I get every pain possible cause of them I gotta do homework

[@rajveerkanojiya2985]

​@@mmdestiny3bro because of those 2. the raps ,the muders,the supsides happen just cause of them so very bad why they saved da World 😡

[@zarax-t5o]

​@@rajveerkanojiya2985Existence is pain.

[@richtigmann1]

jesus, this is actually terrifyingly illustrated, the panic, the millitary talk, the uncertainty, the rushed briefing, it's so well researched that it makes everything feel so real and actually horrifying to think about

[@mesa9724]

Well Researched? They mention a single person (President) can launch a nuclear attack which is hilariously false.

[@rajveerkanojiya2985]

nuclear war on August 25 2023 cause Russia's getting attacked by Ukraine

[@Munchausenification]

So its just me who thinks this is their worst video so far? They use so little actual data on the topic, why be so speculative?

[@Mohojo]

@@rajveerkanojiya2985 Russia is getting attacked? You mean Russia's full scale and unprovoked invasion of its neighbor has gone bad and now Russia is helpless and now making excuses to use nuclear weapons?

[@hungrykoala1293]

@@Munchausenification What was speculation here?

[@aidanm8009]

I’ll never forget Vasili’s name. He literally saved the entire world. Colossal bravery during a moment of unfathomable terror, all while trapped in a pressurized submarine.

[@Dan-Simms]

Yeah, the parallel universe where he didn't stand up is now all glass.

[@impersonalevil]

He almost killed us all. The next time you're nearly hit by a car, don't forget to thank that driver. 😒

[@kotzpenner]

@@impersonalevil insanely bad take

[@RutakoVon]

​@@impersonaleviltroglodyte take

[@marc_frank]

imagine the sub wasn't pressurized

[@HoneyJar_0]

Ah, healthy dose of reality for my anxiety. In all honesty, I think we all need to be aware of this stuff, no matter how scary it is. The more people understand the catastrophic impact of nuclear war, and the more we all fear such an event, the more likely we are to do something about it and stop such an event from occuring.

[@griddownpowerup]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! If you're interested, check out our award-winning documentary 𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝑫𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝑼𝒑 narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on KZbin and covers these issues in detail.

[@GL1TCH3D]

I've heard those close call stories before and it's incredibly chilling just HOW CLOSE we were to annihilation. So many times there were operators that, quick on their feet, realized that the timing didn't make sense for XYZ reason and decided not to act on the alarm.

[@Alblaka]

And this is also why clear and trusted communication is so invaluable... and why I'm deeply concerned about Russia and China: During the weather balloon incident, China's MoD specifically *did not pick up* the red phone the US MoD was contacting him on. Emergency communication lines are there for the precise reason that they will ALWAYS be accepted, thus always giving a way to talk things out. If you can't trust a country to honor that mutual communication agreement in a relatively benign incident, why would you spend even a second waiting when you have to worry about a nuclear war? And similarly, you cannot be untrustworthy: several countries pointed out the Russian army gathering at the Ukraine border, and very overtly asked Putin as to whether he's going to invade Ukraine. He publicly assured them it was just a training exercise, and 24h later the war started. If you're willing to lie that boldly, despite the other side very keenly insinuating that they're fully aware of your plans, what value does your word retain? Nothing. So if a nuclear war issue arises, how are you gonna talk things down when nothing you say can be trusted? (This can be applied in a similar vein with Trump, but at least he's no longer the sitting president.) Having country leaders who do not recognize the immense threat posed by their disregard for trust and communication, is probably going to be the final nail that starts nuclear war (if it ever comes to that).

[@Dimitri88888888]

The one in the submarine was even more chilling, it wasn't anything rational that made them not launch it. The officer who refused to launch told the 2 others that even if the missiles had launched and the us had wiped out the Soviet Union, he asked that if it was even worth it to launch the nuclear missiles as there would be nothing to come back too anyways in the USSR, all family members and homes would already be destroyed and so there was no point in launching these anyways as it would not change the outcome of their loved ones. Aka it was already too late. This was enough to persuade the others.

[@GalacticTommy]

@@Dimitri88888888I’m totally being that guy but it wasn’t a nuclear missile on the sub. If you’re talking about the Vasili Arkhipov incident, he refused to fire a nuclear torpedo at the US ships. The submarine was a foxtrot class which did not carry nuclear missiles.

[@nathansavage8692]

The third guy on the sub wasnt even meant to be there! He was the sub fleet commander, if he was on another the wepons would have been used.

[@QuickStudy4]

​@@Dimitri88888888Add in the fact that their sub was being thumped by depth charges the whole time, not knowing that they were training charges to try and convince them to surface.

[@Enceladus335]

Exactly what we needed first thing in the morning 😅

[@scissorbanner9735]

Funny that, where I am this video was uploaded at exactly midnight.

[@sandboxgamekid4932]

so true tho

[@fire777.]

True

[@Borbinator]

Y..yes

[@vinicius_ATC]

Just regular kurzsgesagt optimism

[@jaseg5741]

I legit got teary eyed from realief when yoinsaid that the amount of nuclear weapons went from 70,000 to 12,500. Its still way to many, but just knowing we made progress makes me so much less scared

[@aguy3664]

russia and usa both have enough nukes to destroy the world 10x so dont be happy until that number is bellow 1

[@cxnqor]

This was a crazy video to wrap my head around but…. that green screen transition with the generals clothes at 4:41 was insane 😂 Love the animators and their attention to detail ❤

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

He had me on the video too lol

[@michaelrhine3152]

Oh, I didn't notice that. Thanks for pointing it out

[@muraliavarma]

I honestly thought that was an unintentional animation error lol

[@Heroo01]

@@muraliavarma bro what lmfao, how tf would that happen

[@ckmv2858]

The reality of that was the scariest part of the video.

[@FrotLopOfficial]

This was easily the most intense and entertaining video you guys have made. The drama, so good

[@ekkehard8]

I think this is because the military guy is explaining it as though you're senile 😆

[@alessandrosilvafilho8527]

For a moment, I thought the explanation would take all the retaliation time.

[@jessy1982]

@@ekkehard8 Do you see how old most world leaders are? xD

[@Thzyr]

Agreed

[@0_1_2]

Maybe if you’re 16 years old, yeah. You should read more

[@cosmus2584]

That POV was really well done and does a really good job at making the viewer feel the pressure of that moment.

[@babywitches1750]

It gave me an anxiety attack XD

[@chanshengsupremacy8889]

I was going “NO DONT LAUNCH THE BOMBS”

[@Samstercraft77]

@@babywitches1750 rip

[@user-yf1he8us8r]

seeing this in November 2024 hits different

[@Symantec-u1g]

Fr😂

[@ButchersNailsEnjoyer]

Except Biden funded 2 wars during his presidency while trump ended 2 😂

[@LordePetty]

⁠@@ButchersNailsEnjoyerhows chomps cheddar chode taste dltop69420,

[@kanethog]

​@@ButchersNailsEnjoyerWhat about those strikes that happened during Trump's presidency, basically making the Yemanese civil war worse.

[@RicardoLaw-e2p]

Ikr like wtf yo

[@deusexvesania1702]

Imagine a world where leaders have to fight each other, instead of compensating with giant missiles. Edit: Here a reminder that Plato, one of the greatest minds in history, was also a wrestler famous for his impressive stature.

[@alexnguyen1284]

yeah like a celebrity boxing match, triller.

[@LateNightCity]

That's like WW5 or some shit. Where there will be nothing left to use

[@OddlyIncredible]

Two men enter, one man leaves. "Remember where you are - this is Thunderdome, and death is listening, and will take the first man that screams."

[@blsm-burminilaicalseparati6214]

"Why don't presidents fight the wars? Why do they always send the poor?"

[@captianpicard1055]

Soy

[@1408Phantom]

Unfortunately, the reduction in nuclear arms is not an indication that there's a chance to eliminate them. The costs associated with their maintenance (and relative uselessness of having THAT many) is likely the only reason they've gone down so much since the height of the cold war

[@salamanderred8148]

IMHO, it's also for the good of self defense, there is also the lack of technology alternative to fight against Nuclear Warhead. "Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum" 1. We can't shoot every warhead with 100% Certainty. To be hit with many is obviously disaster, but even one is still too much. 2. Our choice of anti nuclear warhead is very limited. 3. Attack is the best defense, or at least threat of an attack or Counter attack is one of the best defense there is, which lead to nuclear stalemate. 4. While it's said that there is only 12.500 ish left, please allow me to doubt. Remember the said phrase, prepare for war. Even if officially every nuclear warhead is dismantled, somewhere someone someway, will hide a few nuclear warheads, either for true self defense, or just for last resort weapon if... They have a war, and losing is not an option, not when you have hidden nuclear warhead. 5. Now apply the same to our side, we can't be sure that the opponent doesn't hide nuclear weapons, so we hide some too. 6. Defense against Nuclear Warhead is in need of upgrades, and a lots of upgrades. Maybe super wide area laser that shoot down every single warheads, dummy or not. For example. Basically we need 100% effective anti nuclear, or we just stuck in nuclear versus nuclear. 7. There is also our need of negating nuclear fallout, or nuclear radiation, which we don't know yet how to do that. Not hit with nuclear warhead is nice and all, but the radiation still hits hard, such is the dread of nuclear warhead. So unless our defense against Nuclear is 100% denying the power and effect of nuclear warhead ,our available option is only threatening each other with nuclear.

[@macdjord]

Nuclear disarmament is very much a case of 'Great idea! You first.'.

[@torrent5018]

and unfortunately, even if we somehow did achieve complete nuclear disarmament, we’ll still always have the knowledge of *how* to make nuclear weapons. Any spike in geopolitical tension or the election/succession of a particular politician in any number of countries could bring them back pretty quickly

[@macdjord]

@@salamanderred8148 Well, the advantage of disarmament is that, while you can certainly have secret nukes, you cannot maintain a massive end-the-world arsenal of them. If all the major nuclear powers were to agree to mutual disarmament, sure, they'd probably all keep a few bombs squirreled away, and there would still be the risk of a rogue nation like North Korea or Iran using one, but it would effectively end the risk of destroying humanity.

[@caesarsalad1170]

@@macdjord And then whats to stop large conventional wars from happening again?

[@GarrettWatts]

This is a 9 minute feature film.

[@TheBruceGains]

Hello

[@David280GG]

Deez

[@Waltyworld]

Ikr

[@Fanumtax69420]

TAAAAAAAAAAA

[@mostawesomeflyer6164]

Perfect way to put it xD

[@taraldomland8657]

Right now I feel it’s crazy that we as the west is much more worried of a nuclear war from Russia. I really don’t want to die for Ukraines independence. Though I believe their Defence is just. But death is just so scary

[@GorillaGunner94]

Death is natural, you’ll get over it

[@TryingToDoBetter101]

Finally Westerners getting a feel of what they have been doing to the rest of the world for decades

[@Wazzaja]

I really like how the video simulates the uncanny and uncomfortable state the leader the video is in the perspective of by animating this in such a dramatically different way from Kurzgesagt's usual method. The vertigo-inducing camera movement and the fact the advistor's mouth is moving, put the viewer (especially those familiar with Kurzgesagt's prior videos) on edge, and keeps them there with the bombardment of information, just like how the leader in the video would be feeling at the time. Very excellent. Now, don't do that again! XD

[@conifercatgirl]

Yes I also like how there are a lot of small subtle things that indicate that it *could* also just be the RADARs/detection systems misreading what's going on (like the interference part specifically), or how not all of the warheads launched at once (which was part of how Stanislav Petrov determined that the US attack wasn't real, since he figured they would launch all of their warheads at once to cause as much initial damage as possible with the lowest chance of retaliation).

[@lightvoid7089]

But what's the point of launching back? You're just gonna kill more innocent people.

[@imperatacylindrica8993]

...let's not do that at all, please and thank you. Edit : I misread your comment, I thought it said "now, do that again" at the end

[@Noxedwin]

There is a very dreamlike quality to the video. As the President is descending to the Bunker, the video starts getting dizzy, as well. A literal disassociating panic attack.

[@bandiechannel4847]

Oppenhiemer momento.

[@ozzyhuxford4562]

There's nothing better to start the day with than a bit of dread.

[@teamok1025]

I live in philippines and its night time And i cant sleeep

[@D.e.v.i.n]

In Germany its 16:20

[@scottmatheson3346]

I'm glad they're back to existential dread, all this treacly stuff about how there's hope for the future rubs me the wrong way.

[@rajveerkanojiya2985]

​@@teamok1025it's 8pm here

[@person8064]

​@@scottmatheson3346 don't worry, it's guaranteed that climate change will royally fuck the Earth's ecosystem and probably cause hundreds of millions of deaths while developed countries get off with minor inflation despite being the main cause of the problem!

[@YouThisReadWrong.]

“The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five” -Carl Sagan Thank you guys for the dopamine, btw if anyone has any knowledge on how to increase my CTR on YT, advice would be appreciated.

[@snubluemoons]

He was a pretty smart guy i think

[@TheKoloradoShow]

@@snubluemoonshe understood how unimportant humanity is in the universe

[@nocturn9x]

​@@TheKoloradoShowNo, he understood how unimportant our silly conflicts were. That's completely different.

[@kennethfharkin]

and so long as both sworn enemies value their own survival and know to strike out against the other is certain suicide then there will not be any wars between them. The issue is with those powers holding nuclear weapons who do not fear reprisal, either because their target is unable to do so or lacks the will to do so, or even worse because the idea of loosing millions or billions of their own population in a reprisal is a worthwhile exchange within their value system. Perhaps they are religious fanatics for whom the death of their own people is immaterial or they simply see their populations as expendable with the balance of exchange being a worthwhile transaction to them. THAT is when one must be worried.

[@pedrochagas9903]

"That's pretty clever" Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[@Xavier-qd4jm]

This was unbelievably well paced.

[@FlameSoulis]

As someone who played Defcon, I had no idea ICBMs had many mini-warheads in them. In some way, I guess that explains why countermeasures fail in-game. Edit: WOW, some really neat stuff in the responses. I also didn't expect this comment to blow up either.

[@kaitlyn__L]

They were an innovation of the 60s, so if the game is simulating 50s ICBMs it’d be one warhead per rocket. That’s part of why the space race pushed toward larger rockets - bigger payloads could launch cluster warheads as in the manner described in the video!

[@BorderlinePathetic]

It's called MRV (Multiple Reentry Vehicle) or MIRV (Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicle)

[@bmouch1018]

I haven't played Defcon, but perhaps you'd be interested in the game ICBM on steam

[@helikopterbojowyka-5234]

Yea the only way to defend from them is to shoot them down before they split Which is mostly very unlikely due to lack of time

[@obiwankenobi4252]

@@helikopterbojowyka-5234especially since they “split” mostly before re-entering the atmosphere

[@CHANNEL.518]

Did y’all expand your team? The videos are coming out a lot more often, it seems. I’m totally here for it! 👍

[@CheetahBoy-gx2dx]

Who doesn't love fast Kurzgesagt videos

[@supermaster2012]

Soros is now paying the bill, that's the difference. They have become just another propaganda arm of the new world order.

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

They realized they have to compete with Mitsi Studio now and Mitsi is like the edgy 90's cool kid that rides a skateboard and says "dude" and wears sunglasses.

[@hajfksdl]

​@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoathardly, kurzgesagt has 20 million more subscribers than them

[@demoncloud6147]

Imagine Putin watching this while taking a dump ! 🤣

[@acrylicmarlin6356]

This was unimaginably distressing, but a sacrifice needed to fully understand how dire the situation is and how hopeless we would be if this would happen

[@trevorday7923]

Then I recommend you DON'T watch "Threads" made by the BBC in the late 80s, which shows the buildup to a nuclear war then the attack in GRAPHIC detail, followed by the aftermath. It is, hands down, THE most disturbing thing you'll ever watch

[@swedishwildlife916]

If i were the president i woud not press the button

[@ferdinanddaratenas3447]

​@@swedishwildlife916 I'd press the button so hard and fast that I might break it. I'm not afraid of dying, and I won't spare the enemy any destruction and suffering if they attack first. Although I understand that you came from Sweden, so self-hatred in ingrained in your culture.

[@DLlama]

America is painfully unaware of the war that's going on around us, through media. Way too many are voting for our downfall, and millions more are passively sitting out. Meanwhile, the enemy marches every day

[@LisaLeeMercer]

@@trevorday7923 out of all the horror movies I’ve watched, Threads was by far the most frightening. Especially when I watched it after Day After Tomorrow. Ah the bomb drill days.

[@rocketpoint2070]

The scariest part of this is the uncertainty. I can’t imagine the president (who I wouldn’t blame) launching a retaliation and the general saying, “Oh, it was just a computer glitch”. God, the risk of just a simple misunderstanding or glitch with no time to confirm what’s going on is horribly terrifying.

[@yeeterskadeeter9400]

The "There's nothing we can do for them" part actually sent a shiver down my spine

[@danhtranquoc3745]

ok

[@Russian4647]

At no point in the video does he say those words

[@PIRA_VAMPZ0902]

since radiation poisoning is so hard to treat on it's own, throw in millions of men, women, children and others all suffering from it with limited and small amounts of non-irradiated supplies, it is a true nightmare after the blast as well

[@PIRA_VAMPZ0902]

@@Russian4647 dude, watch the fucking part where they're talking about how the people in busy cities can't escape

[@Russian4647]

@@PIRA_VAMPZ0902 rewatched and looked… here’s the time stamp: 2:01 “not much can be done for the people stuck in traffic” is similar, but not the same as “there’s nothing we can do for them” and the guy who posted this comment, used quotation marks… you know why they’re called that? Because they are used for quoting. He was ‘quoting’ the video but he quoted inaccurately..

[@DragongeekAndCo]

While I agree with the general message, I think that the reduction in nuclear weapon counts down from the cold war era is not due to peace-loving faction influence, but rather because the strategic aims that nations hoped to achieve with their nuclear stockpile were maintainable with a lower weapon count. Specifically, a large portion of the reasoning behind having such an absurd amount of nuclear missiles was that guidance systems just weren't very good. In order to take out a reinforced launch silo, the weapon would need to strike at a level of precision that simply wasn't possible in ye olden days. Because of this, they simply made more weapons and relied on a strategy of saturation or statistics in order to take out the targets they designate. Today's nuclear stockpiles are smaller, yes, but they are still able to achieve this same goal of a theoretical first-and-last strike. It's just that today's missiles are accurate enough that they can hit a square-meter sized target on the other side of the planet without issue (consider how the US military recently assassinated a terrorist leader on his balcony using a cruise missile that had swords sticking out of it instead of an explosive inside) so this overwhelming glut of nuclear weapons is no longer needed to achieve the same strategic goal .

[@Warsie]

Ehhh not so, nuclear missile accuracy decreased but they were still cranking out more missiles for the American and Soviets. A lot of the decrease in nuclar weapons were the removal of intermediate and tactical nuclear weapons, which were going to be fielded by all sides in Europe, as NATO planning expected they would use nuclear weapons (As the French and/or Americans were the most liely to use them, France if their territory was threatened with WARPAC invasion, Americans as an accident or something. Also before SALT the assumpton was a lot of MIRVs, so there was a decrease in nuclear weapon capability even in the Cold War.

[@Moosetick2002]

"assassinated a terrorist leader on his balcony using a cruise missile that had swords sticking out of it" Are you saying they stabbed that person with a missle going 500mph? Also, those swords didn't somehow negatively affect the ballistics of that missle? Was it guided by Jewish space lasers?

[@projectcapsule]

@@Moosetick2002 look up hellfire r9x, shit's straight out of a comicbook. doesn't explode but shreds a target to pieces

[@yourcrazybear]

The most effective way to ensure no nuclear war is being fought is to ensure that the consequences of one is too extreme.

[@vansdan.]

tell me more about the sword missile

[@Chazinthius]

I love how I didn’t know about the mini in-air war with decoys, pre detonations, and anti-munition missiles. It’s amazingly crazy

[@philguer4802]

I love how immersive the POV was. It felt like the Futuroscope

[@smitchered]

I actually quite liked this interactive-ish ethical scenario video. More of these, please! There are plenty of concepts in game theory, ethics, effective altruism, etc. which could be interesting to flesh out. Good video! Thanks for being prolific!

[@LetsGetIntoItMedia]

Ooooooh you're totally right! That would be a whole new type of Kurzgesagt video, and I'd love to learn more about those topics

[@clusterstage]

After 2024, realizes what this video is really about.

[@VikingTeddy]

It really made me ponder the pros and cons of launching, the music made it feel even more urgent. Really well done. Counter launching would make the everything worse. And you have to think not only of the near future, but decades and centuries ahead too. Without knowing additional background, it's impossible to make a decision.

[@smitchered]

@@VikingTeddy I would have cooperated as well. But in order to make first strike a mad move, the other nation needs to assign a high enough probability to retaliation on my part; and if I'm the type of person who cooperates, they might pick up on that and I would have made things worse not better by deciding to cooperate. But then, that's a costly move because if deciding to defect doesn't avert nuclear war anyway and you're in it for real... Well, the cost of defection is tens of millions of lives. Yeesh.

[@clusterstage]

Exactly, the viewpoint here is of revenge, but what if opposite? @@smitchered

[@natenelson9102]

I always thought the worst part of nuclear bombs is their incredible destructive power, but I think the biggest killer is the fact that a leader needs to make decisions that affect the entirety of the planet in less than a few minutes and with less reliable information than oann

[@quintessenceSL]

I've ponder this a bit and it always strikes me the obvious answer is NOT to launch. If a nation has launched missiles, the damage is already done, the area will be a wasteland not usable to them, and there is honestly nothing to be done. To respond in kind is just to doom the entirety of the human race. And for what? Revenge? You are already dead. Think of it as the anti-Prisoner's Dilemma.

[@AmyDaisy69]

It's a simple and easy decision, every time. You simply do not use them at all. There is no good reason to ever use a nuclear weapon in any situation. They are indiscriminate killers that poison the planet, and who is to know how many of those bombs will salt the earth, because that's the level of degeneracy on display here. These people not only hate life itself, but they want to eradicate any chances of its resurgence.

[@rajveerkanojiya2985]

first of all nuclear weapons can't destroy whole planet but they can cause nuclear winter which can easily destroy all humankind in 2-3 years

[@Munchausenification]

If you have a nuclear arsenal as a leader you probably be briefed on what to do on the day you are in power... This video is so lazy, I expect better from Kurzgesagt

[@lazarusboi6289]

​​@@MunchausenificationIf you would have watched the video, the premise of the fictitious part is that the leader in question was in their first day in office

[@charlyros]

My last team (Holosphere vr) produced this situation on commision as a VR experience for American University a few years back called Nuclear Biscuit. The pressure many people felt shows many people wouldn't be able to handle it. Note: I don't believe it was made public for people to try. It was taken to shows/used for study results. Apologies!

[@jordanc8499]

Cool, I'll be looking that up!

[@bookworm3005]

I was feeling my adrenaline and blood pressure go up just by watching *this* video. I can't imagine how intense that VR must be!

[@MewPurPur]

This project inspired the video

[@LillianRyanUhl]

Is that available to the general populace too?

[@charlyros]

@@LillianRyanUhl I probably should've said. I don't think they made it public, it was something they used in-house to take results from for study! Sorry. I'll edit my comment. I really hope at some point they do release it to everyone though

[@xenno8496]

I love this style of video i hope you guys do more like this, it felt so weird (in a good way) to see a first person perspective in this artstyle

[@Morskoy915]

They should have made two separate videos to show to a viewer depending on their decision. Like in Black Mirror Bandersnatch

[@xenno8496]

@@Morskoy915 oh that would've been a cool idea! I loved it when Markiplier did that with his three big series and would love something like that from Kurzgesagt

[@connorphares8157]

I found this surprisingly stressful to watch, but extremely informative.

[@anderstermansen130]

dont worry, a nuclear war is never going to happen.

[@namantherockstar]

Nutshell inspires me.. My parents said if i get 50K followers They'd buy me a professional camera for recording..begging u guys , literally Begging...

[@marcocasanova2543]

Same

[@1989Nihil]

That was part of the point they wanted to make.

[@Rechnerstrom]

Exactly this scenario happened during the Norwegian rocket scare 1995. Due to communication failures Russia wasn't notified of the start of a norwegian sounding rocket which had the mission to do high altitude research of the aurora. Unfortunately the rocket veered off course heading toward Russia on a course that coincided with the air corridor for Minuteman III missiles from North Dakota into Russia. The russian satellite based early warning system detected the launch of the unheralded rocket. A reentry course was calculated and it was determined that the missile had it's course set on Moscow. Still, it was just a single missile so the command center tried to estimate if this was a plausible threat. They only had minutes to judge and came to the conclusion that the missile showed all the characteristics for a submarine launched Trident missile launched near the Norwegian coast. At first it was judged that it could be a precursor attack to blind Russia's early warning systems enabling a massive missile strike. This got the chain of command on full alert and president Yeltsin was informed. Yeltsin at the time was stationed in the hospital for treatment of medical conditions stemming from alcohol abuse. The Nowegian rocket now separated from it's second stage and now looked on the early warning system like a MIRV attack on Moscow. It was now determined that this could be a decapiitation strike. A direct hit on the russian command center would disable Russia of a counterattack. This was deemed plausible as a NATO strategy, which adopted this kind of strategy during the Reagan aera. At the time Russia had a 6 eyes approach. A nuclear strike could only be launched if 3 people simultaneously gave the launch order. This was the president of Russia (Yeltsin), the defense minister and the commander of the strategic rocket forces. The defense minister and the commander already transmitted their permission and it only hinged on Yeltsin. Yeltsin turned the keys and the launch order for the retaliation strike was activated. Wikipedia is unfortunately a bit short on why we still exist. From the story I heard an encryption error occurred for transmitting the order. Missile command couldn't decrypt the order and asked for a repetition with the correct key. In those 2 minutes the rocket again changed it's course and headed out for the White Sea. The order wasn't repeated. Yeltsin later said they watched the missile until it finally plunged into the sea. This had been the scariest 20 minutes he ever had.

[@dbrokensoul]

A software error... We were saved by a software error. As someone in IT industry, never have I been this grateful for a bug or error.

[@pikharov]

Wikipedia is short on reasoning of why we still exist, because it's a lie. Yeltsin didn't push the button, because he could not believe US would launch such an attack. And in a couple of minutes it was known that the rocket is not military, he said so himself in an interview. Though MOD really did vote for launch.

[@AiSard]

Any sources on Yeltsin turning the key? Most of my google hits seem to say that no-one really knows what happened with Yeltsin during those minutes, and we are only left with what got revealed to the public later. Turning the key and/or a software error not seemingly reported.

[@jokepp]

According to the German Wikipedia, the nuclear briefcase was made ready, but the order was not given.

[@tranquoccuong890-its-orge]

Russian leaders felt so much on the rope back at that incident it could have been dismissed with an arguement similar to the 1983 incident (6:28): if NATO (the USA) was gonna launch a decapitation strike at Moscow, it would have belonged to a larger first strike aimed at all of Russia's nuclear & military capabilities (silos, air bases,...) with roughly a hundred missiles at minimum; Stanislav Petrov (the guy at the early warning system in the 1983 incident) used the same reasoning to clear up the warning of 5 possible incoming missiles (that turned out to be sun glares) - it would have been more than that if the USA were to launch a preemptive strike

[@thatguywithoutadoubt]

the Fact that Arkhipov remained cool and calm as winters in Russia during a very hot issue is very impressive. I believe he was really forgotten and almost no one (except a few historians) noticed his work until like the 2010s

[@enricotartarotti]

The First Person perspective is incredible, I didn't think you could surpass themselves with quality, but you killed it! As a creator I'm blown away and also getting back to work harder lol

[@Ankhar2332]

yeah, masterpieces like that fills me with inspiration as well

[@chaz-e]

I found the 3rd person narrative better.

[@VladKin]

👍 hello from Siberia! putin is a terrorist! 💙💛ua +🗽us = Victory‼

[@gredfeorge912]

The animation of this video was one of the best so far! Great job conveying the urgency =)

[@reshpeck]

I like how the animators simulated a chroma key glitch on the officer's uniform when the green screen dropped down behind him

[@ashcla]

​@@reshpeckI noticed that too! I realize that it would actually be pretty simple to animate, but it still feels very extra for a split second goof.

[@cryingbleh]

Unnoticeably making our days better! Love this content!

[@polen2077]

i like men

[@toastyhexagon]

same

[@farhanbawazier1780]

how is it unnoticable if you noticed that your days are better?

[@JoelMcCary]

​@@polen2077I also like men but I also like women

[@eltiolavara9]

better? i mean its well made but i'm not sure if this video is giving me a lot of hope

[@Mazzi2457]

What a time to have this recommended

[@Robertheee]

That was exhillerating. I'd love more "slice-of-history" videos like this where you're in the POV of an impending threat and have to really think like the person in charge and make a decision.

[@Reedascovery]

I’ve never been so stressed out from a video in my entire life. Well done

[@HyenaEmpyema]

The one they did about a nuclear strike in a major city was even more terrifying. Something like it's equivalent to 4 natural disasters simultaneously, and no aid is possible.

[@louisbouvier6679]

It’s stressing me out that the president guy isn’t doing anything

[@Heroo01]

@@louisbouvier6679 if he did something, he would have been ending potentially *billions* of lives. Better to stall and make _absolutely fucking certain_ that your decision is the right one.

[@louisbouvier6679]

@@Heroo01 still stressed me out 🤷‍♂️

[@popbee10]

@@louisbouvier6679 because in this case you are the president! will you press the button!

[@Sol_VI]

I think this might be one of Kurzgesagt's best videos to date. It is stylistically different from all of their usual videos, but it's so well put together. The simultaneous story-telling, intensity and education from it is brilliant!

[@JBUG]

gotta agree

[@michaelmerrett]

I agree. It’s nice to see them experimenting!

[@Johndavid1451]

@FantaGuyXLive Stop putting clickbait titles in all your videos bro it’s cheap

[@Vamprion]

It's approching us right now...

[@nNIZYB]

Loved the green screen messing up at 4:40, very creative animation

[@crangel2183]

omg! i totally missed it. The amount of detail is commendable

[@CodePearInTheFortniteItemShop]

Lol

[@bibliobeebo2927]

Give some credit to our outstanding military advisor who was able to fluently communicate the current situation, our possible strategies, and the effects of the nuclear war all within minutes of the initial warheads being launched in a way that even a panicked, civilian head of state could understand.

[@tntero]

Did anyone notice the general's green suit messing with the green screen at 4:42? This video is incredible!

[@tillmantovvenitacoa2334]

green screen🤣

[@gooo1762]

Amazing video! Thanks!

[@Gabrielbarsch]

Imagine how fast life can change because like 16 people can’t get along

[@The13thRonin]

Good. Launch em all baby.

[@Kokorocodon]

@@The13thRonin Touch grass

[@The13thRonin]

@@Kokorocodon I'd rather touch the nuclear button, manlet.

[@agustinvenegas5238]

​@@The13thRonincan you say that without crying though?

[@RandomPerson-zg8lg]

​@@The13thRoninchild

[@electricdeer2031]

It's actually so scary how easily our civilization could be detonated, especially considering the russian submarine incident, 2/3 people confirmed the launch, but only one person opposed them somehow...

[@Leyrann]

There is a theory (although unconfirmed) that one of the three people that have to give permission on a Russian submarine to launch has a standing order to ALWAYS oppose the launch (or maybe unless there's an order to launch from higher up the chain), no matter what, with the underlying idea being that the risk of a mistake in the manner barely avoided here would have been too high otherwise, and it's better to effectively (secretly) neutralize the ship's ability to launch. If so, it's slightly less scary although still pretty far up the scale.

[@sephypantsu]

@@Leyrann unless they knock the guy out

[@foxybohv7732]

I just heard the 1 person had a lot of influence with the people. So his denial of the launching was taken more credible to the others

[@robstamm60]

It is very unlikely that a single nuclear torpedo would have triggered a full blown counterattack without any attempt to clarify things first.

[@klapiroska4714]

What was not really mentioned in the video, is that all acts of war are done to reach some goals. Sudden, unexpected nuclear war is incredibly unlikely, as no even remotely sane leader would launch one, as nuclear war would in the best case practicly destroy your enemy, and rendered their resources unusable, and in the more likely case you'd end up dead. Luckily, so far there has always been someone in the chain of command who has realized this, and chose not to attack. Unfortunately we have already ended up in a situation where a launch depends on only one person (anyone in the chain of command has a change to decide not to launch, or severely delay the launch). If you want to lose your night sleep, have a look at how many times nuclear weapons have been launched or released by accident, and how many such devices are currently reported missing. To mention few instances, in 1961 there was an incidend where 2 nuclear bombs (3-4 Mt each) were released by accident and one of them had 3 out of 4 arming devices activated. Or the time in 1965 when a nuclear bomb was lost at sea between Vietnam and Japan, and hasn't been found nor recovered. Or the time when a bomber carrying 4 nuclear bombs crashed, and had conventional explosives detonating. The list is long and freightening, and imagine if you - as a leader of a nuclear state - would get a report of nuclear detonation on your soild, perhaps in a location that would match your enemies doctorine.

[@Geeps_GP]

The first few minutes were nothing short of what exactly you wanted to convey - the hype, tension, haste and intensity - everything on point. Enjoyed the video ❤

[@KDotz]

Extremely powerful video and the narrative drove home the intense pressure of the situation. This is my second time watching this video the whole way through

[@carotorres4971]

This video was incredible, I was really stressed out and it wasn't even me who had to actually make the decision. Congrats on the awesome content

[@durranaik]

So you happy to miss out on the best spot in d.u.m.b bunker ? 😁

[@DreamDrip07]

😮😮😮

[@dirkauditore8413]

Hi there

[@Geojr815]

If one side does send all their nukes then I really hope the other side just gives up. What’s the point of retaliation and completely ending humanity?

[@saadusmani78]

​@@Geojr815exactly. It's not like that retailiating back is going to do undamage the damage. It's only going to kill millions or even billions more.

[@roosesjooces2104]

You guys really outdid yourself with scenario storytelling here. I especially loved the part where the greenscreen for the general went funny.

[@Clone683]

An interesting point to make is that nuclear weapons basically prevented a conventional war between the US and the Soviet Union in the 50s/60s in such a war the death toll would probably have been worse than WW2.

[@kucylja]

like Einstein said :" I dont know what weapons will be used in third world war, but the forth will be with sticks and stones"

[@windshipping]

Yeah, replacing it with proxy wars such as the Vietnam War, Korea, Cuba and so on... The Cold War made millions of casualties. It's like saying Hiroshima "saved lives" when it literally burn alive thousands of children. The thing is you can't properly evaluate something that didn't happen (because it's an "if"), but you can clearly count the deaths that happened. The world today certainly would be very different without nuclear weapons. Now would it be safer... I don't know. Even if more direct conflicts are avoided and you assume say, ten of millions of lives have been saved, or even hundreds of millions, it just takes one nuclear war to entirely destroy that, not to mention the effects of a nuclear winter if (yeah, again with that unscalable "if") it were to happen.

[@saintuk70]

One of our most tense timeframe was the late 70's and early 80's - was a crazy time to live in.

[@atomf9143]

Let’s say each side of the Cold War had exactly one nuke, and both fired at each other’s most strategically important port within the other’s home nation- no Warsaw Pact, no NATO, just the two countries. The USSR would target the Los Angeles port and naval base. Millions of lives and trillions of dollars of commerce would end right there. The USA- and the world- is dealt a humanitarian and economic knockout punch. Meanwhile, the USA launches on the St. Petersburg shipyards. Again, millions of people lose their lives, and the Soviet Navy’s lifespan in the Atlantic is reduced to a few weeks, tops. No rational leader would accept the annhilation of one for the destruction of the other.

[@NakayaAvarlina]

​@@windshipping By all means, The nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the best option the US could've used. Firebombings of major Japanese cities like Tokyo has already killed just about as much as the nukings did, but Japan refused to back down despite Tokyo being charred ruins. And if the US couldn't nuke Japan, the only option after that is a full scale invasion of mainland Japan the likes of which have never been seen before, casualties were estimated to be in the millions, and over a million of purple heart medals were made in preparations for such invasion, which the US goverment still makes use of to this day. I see a lot of people using the example of Japan being nuked as a reason why nukes are terrible, sure, nukes are terrible, but Japan situationally is not a good example at all, as the only other option would've ment millions of Japanese soldiers, civilians and god knows how many American soldiers dying on the beaches, towns, hills, and so forth, Japan as a whole would've been one massive Stalingrad due to the fact that Japanese soldiers were told to never surrender and to fight to the last drop of blood. If this were to be the case, then we'd have people speaking in favour of nukes being used in Japan because "It would've reduced the amount of casualties suffered in the end of the war and no American soldier would've had to die needlessly on the Japanese Mainland." (Mind you I'm only talking about the Hiroshima part of your point, since it's a relatively big misconception that not using nukes was a better option.) And a fun fact; if it wasn't for Germany surrendering so early like they did, said nukes would've been used on Germany instead, as that was the original plan.

[@bsudls]

As a Korean, I like this video 😍😍

[@Springbok295]

Finally educating a new generation about nuclear war. We knew all about it. Growing up as a teenager in the early 80s we knew a nuclear war could start and end civilization in a day and that we were all going to die. Today's generation needs to be taught the same message and to hold our present leaders accountable for their actions that presently move us ever closer to war.

[@nuntana2]

Yep, remember it all too well! At school looking for giant mushrooms when there was any sort of noise. My town was well known for having a Rusky SS-20 pointed at it... likely still has.

[@pagnean4234]

We do, I was class of 2021 and throughout all of my History credits, nuclear war was a very well established subject. Even now, my younger siblings who haven’t even made it to high school are fairly educated on the topic. With ongoing tensions, nuclear warfare seems as if it will always be a threat. Presently, we have no clue what foreign countries have up their sleeves. Nobody anticipated us to drop a weapon of mass destruction on Japan, even after numerous statements and threats.

[@qoph1988]

We should launch them this time.

[@wassupfoo_]

I ain’t reading allat

[@BIGHEADjr51]

@@pagnean4234middle school nuclear war education huh? 😅

[@olegoleg258]

I must say, I really like this style of "POV: you are [X] and are experiencing [Y]/having [Z] explain the topic to you". Hope to see more of this style!

[@cristianalbert6389]

infographics show fan detected

[@jordinford3272]

I worked as a ICBM maintainer for almost a decade and the accuracy of this video is chilling

[@PeanutBreathing]

How fast can these ICBM travel up and then back down?!

[@Tacgibs]

@@PeanutBreathing Just google Peacekeeper ICBM. And understand that it's an obsolete technology. You're welcome !

[@1Psyblade1]

@@PeanutBreathing I think about a dozen times longer than a Minute, Man. ...Bad time for puns?

[@jordinford3272]

@@PeanutBreathing ascent is much slower than reentry. I don't know the exact speed for launch, but I know on reentry the RVs are coming in at about 29,000 K/hr, so about MACH 23 roughly. That's why your only really hope is shooting them down on their way up. Because on the way down it's like shooting a bullet with another bullet. All in all the process takes 20-30 minutes depending on your target

[@MareTranquil]

@@PeanutBreathing For a silo-based missile, it takes something like 30 minutes from launch to impact on another continent. If it's launched from a submarine, or from an island closer to the target, it might be only a few minutes.

[@MurderElite]

Nukes hit the U.S and this general will still be explaining every detail before any action is taken lol this video is awesome.

[@gooos3]

I remember from an earlier Kurzgesagt video on intergalactic civilizations, and this problem will continuously get worse and worse. What if we were to discover another species, that also happened to be hostile? Technology at this level would mean that wars might take seconds, as all you would need to completely annihilate a planet, or at least it's livable atmosphere is to launch a large mass object at very high speeds.

[@aquila4460]

On the other hand annihilating a planet will quickly become just a minor problem, akin to a single city being wiped out, as species spread first over their solar system and then the surrounding system. And habitats are even less susceptible because they can easily be spread over much larger areas(while holding many thousands of times the people that a planet does for the same mass), and perhaps even dodge attacks with enough warning.

[@johnroach9026]

Heck, that's the entire basis of Dark Forest theory; the fear that alien civilizations will be hostile drives a civilization to wipe out any it encounters

[@AthaxDesigns]

Anyone being able to travel the enormous vast distance space is, would surely not be hostile. In order to do something like that a planet has to be united, and a planet with a species that actively seeks to be hostile would be hostile between them self. I believe this is a major block a filter, before you can become a space faring civilization.

[@chazzerine7650]

Going from a nuclear warhead arms race to a Death Star/Starkiller Base arms race.

[@aquila4460]

@@johnroach9026 The Dark Forest Theory is a nice horror novel concept, but very likely not feasible in real life, as hiding in space is impossible.

[@Original1Thor]

Whenever I'm feeling down, the possibility of randomly being annihilated is calming. The days I spent eating the wrong foods, playing video games, hanging out with friends were worth it.

[@ryatt1]

"If we are unable to change ourselves through the discipline of changing our own actions, it becomes tempting to resort to wish for chaos to force change. Instead of waiting for disaster to hit us, it is better for us to take the leap and take control. We must initiate the change despite our habits and comforts. When we step into chaos, into the unkown on our own terms, we are able to change our lives and ourselves more effectively."

[@SaltyNard]

That's nihilism talking my friend, doesn't have to be that way. What you did is not enough, your time is not done. What you will do is ever important. More moments with friends, more hobbies, more decisions, more living, always. Never give that up for anyone or anything, it's yours.

[@Original1Thor]

@@SaltyNard I appreciate your comment. It's very thoughtful to read. It's ironic you think it's nihilism when the possiblity of not existing brings value to my memories.

[@SaltyNard]

@@Original1Thor That's good to hear man, thought you were going off the deep end.

[@tomushy]

@@ryatt1 Most likely our paths are decided and we never were, are or will be in control.

[@Milesprowerthegamer]

Ultimately the problem is this: Ideal number of countries with nuclear weapons: 0. Worst number of countries to have nuclear weapons: 1. Somehow we have to get the amount of nukes down to zero without any country lying and keeping some, without letting one country possess the entire world's supply of nukes, AND we have to somehow prevent weapons from ever being made again when the knowledge still exists.

[@JD-wf2hu]

Exactly this

[@chico9805]

Nuclear war is inevitable, only question is how devastating for civilization will it be?

[@toolbaggers]

We live in a world where a Donald Trump could kill the entire planet if they can't drink a dozen Diet Cokes per day. The US and Russia should not be allowed to have the ability for a single citizen from one of those countries to have the ability to end the world. The entire world needs to boycott these evil countries until they can behave and not selfishly threaten death for everybody.

[@mingaubr1417]

Reality sucks

[@tf5pZ9H5vcAdBp]

The obvious solution is for a nation to launch all of theirs appropriately distributed to eliminate all of the others at the same time. Then there's no reason for the nukes and there's no nukes left. Win win!

[@angelpenarolo7408]

The detail of the commanders jacket blending in to the green screen is insane

[@Gabriel_TR]

04:48 loved the detail of the green screen with the green uniform

[@3_ormorecharacters]

5:14 "CAN WE LAUNCH?" dumbledore said calmly

[@user-qe9jh5kj7v]

Hahahaahahahahahahahahahahah😐😐

[@syntrx8185]

Is the girl in your pfp from Danganronpa?

[@AnaOhKay]

@@syntrx8185 yeah, looks to be celestia ludenberg

[@EhmedCousCous]

5:15 gave me goosebumps, well done!

[@AJCOD2012]

YES FINALLY A VID THAT TEACHES THE FREEDOM LAND HOW TO GET OUR OIL BACK!

[@Phemon1337]

This video reminds me of a favorite of mine. Look up "there may Never Ever be another man as powerful as Stanislav Petrov" by Emplemon. One of those times where the complete annihilation of us as a species hinges on the decisions of one man. Really harrowing, and very well made video.

[@nadarith1044]

Major population centers in two large countries is a far cry from a 'complete annihilation of the species'

[@jordank6961]

Link? If YT allows it

[@nadarith1044]

@@jordank6961 It mostly doesn't, but he named the title so you can search it up

[@CromemcoZ2]

@@jordank6961 Just Google his name. Wikipedia has a Stanislav Petrov page that tells the story well.

[@joshbobst1629]

There was a whole movie about the incident, starring real Stanislov Petrov, The Man Who Saved the World.