Why Putin’s New Nuclear Threats are a Scary Problem for Illinois

Call it saber rattling or whatever description you like, but Russian President Vladimir Putin's new threats of nuclear attacks on America are a potential scary problem for Illinois in ways you may not have imagined.

As I shared recently, Vladimir Putin went out of his way to name 14 American targets if a nuclear exchange ever began between Russia and the United States. One of those named was Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri since it's a key strategic target because of the stealth bombers that call it home. But, there are dire implications for Illinois, too.

A newly updated target list of American cities that would be in the crosshairs of a Putin-led Russian attack include 6 specifically that would be part of the first wave of strikes. It doesn't take a rocket science to figure out that Chicago would be a part of that threat.

There's a reason why experts believe that Putin would go after America's metro areas like Chicago and it's not the large population centers either. As Business Insider mentioned, metro areas like Chicago do not have easy to access civil emergency shelters.

A worst-case-scenario nuclear exchange between America and Russia would be a big problem for Illinois for reasons other than just Chicago. An updated FEMA targets list shows multiple downstate Illinois locations in a first-strike nuclear attack.

Yes, Putin's warning about the "destruction of civilization" may just be political posturing, but the threat remains chilling for all of America and especially Illinois.