The worldwide nuclear arsenal is anticipated to grow in the following years for the first time since the end of the Cold War, but the risk of their use is at its highest level in decades, according to a prominent think tank.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and western support for Kyiv have increased tensions among the world's nine nuclear-armed states, according to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report.

While the number of nuclear weapons decreased marginally between January 2021 and January 2022, the Institute for Science and International Security warned that the number of warheads might soon rise for the first time in decades if nuclear nations do not take prompt action.

Wilfred Wan, director of the institute's weapons of mass destruction program, stated in its 2022 yearbook, "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,"

An alarming trend

President Vladimir Putin placed Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert three days after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation."

He has also warned that countries that stand in Russia's way will face the consequences "such as you have never seen in your entire history."

Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal with 5,977 warheads, approximately 550 more than the United States.

According to the institute, the two nations possess more than 90 percent of the world's warheads despite China's expansion with more than 300 additional missile silos.

According to the institute, worldwide nuclear warheads decreased to 12,705 in January 2022 from 13,021 in January 2021.

An estimated 3,732 warheads were deployed on missiles and aircraft, and roughly 2,000 were in a state of high readiness, most of which belonged to Russia or the United States.

Former Swedish prime minister and institute chairman Stefan Lofven stated, "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,"