A programme on Russian state television channel has broadcast mocked-up clips of nuclear weapons destroying Ireland in response to the UK’s support to Ukraine amid the ongoing war there. Many Irish politicians have reacted strongly to the broadcast, calling for a diplomatic response to Moscow.
The clips were shown in a segment on Russia’s Channel One presented by anchor Dmitry Kiselyov on Sunday. One of the clips carried a computer graphic describing an attack by an underwater nuclear drone launched by one of its navy’s submarines.
The anchor also claimed that the explosion from the 100 megatonne warhead would cause a “gigantic tsunami wave up to 500 metres high”. Russia One is the most widely watched television channel in Russia.
Ireland is not directly mentioned in the clip, which talks about an attack on the “British Isles”. But the footage shows the islands of Ireland and Britain being wiped off the map by a nuclear weapon. “There’s no way of stopping this underwater drone,” the anchor if further heard saying in the video, which has been viewed nearly two million times since being shared.
The segment was about the Poseidon nuclear underwater drone, an experimental Russian weapon. “It approaches its target at a depth of 1km at a speed of 200km/hour,” according to Mr Kiselyov.
The clips are the latest attempt by tightly-controlled Russian media threatening nuclear attack on the UK in retaliation for its support of Ukraine, which Moscow invaded on February 24.
The broadcast riled several Irish politicians who called for a strong response. Member of the European Parliament Billy Kelleher said on Twitter that the Irish government should convey its disgust about the broadcast to Russia.
“I presume someone in Irish Government is conveying our absolute disgust at these threats to Ireland. There is no free speech in #Russia so these statements are being made with Putin’s approval. Time to tell Russian Government that this wild language is simply unacceptable to us,” the Fianna Fáil member tweeted.
Senator Tom Clonan said in an interview that Russian ambassador Yury Filatov must be summoed by the Irish government over the issue.
