For the third year in a row, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said the world was at risk. The closest the world has ever been to catastrophe was 100 seconds to midnight, according to the group.
It was more than eight months ago before Russia invaded Ukraine and before North Korea began its latest series of missile tests. Six such launches have been conducted by North Korea in the last two weeks.
Sharon Squassoni, the co-chair of the bulletin's Science and Security Board, told Yahoo News that the clock doesn't react to every dangerous incident or positive incident. It isn't just all nuclear. Most of the worrisome developments in the last year have to do with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, one of the intermediate-range missiles launched by North Korea flew over northern Japan, causing widespread panic. The U.S. called for a UN Security Council meeting after the missile launch.
A South Korean missile malfunctioned during a live-fire drill in response to the U.S. and South Korea's military drills. On the next day, the military apologized. The Hyunmoo-2 missile was carrying a warhead, but did not explode when it crashed. They confirmed that no one was killed.
The missiles were fired in response to the military tensions on the peninsula. It came a month after North Korea passed a law declaring itself a nuclear weapons state.
The North Koreans are upset about the restart of exercises by the US and the Republic of Korea, but that is not the same as what is happening with Russia and Ukraine.
Last week, one of Putin's allies renewed nuclear threats. He said Western countries wouldn't intervene if Russia used the most fearsome weapon against the Ukrainian regime.
New hypersonic missiles and smaller tactical nuclear weapons are included in the world's largest nuclear arsenal. Ramzan Kadyrov said that Russia should use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
According to Squassoni, Russia seems hellbent with some of the territories from Ukraine. This may be an illegal vision of Mr. Putin. This is not the same as the war in Afghanistan. It's not like the other conflicts of the last two decades. We have to be careful because of that.
Next month, members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will meet to discuss the aftermath of the past year.
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