On Sunday (local time), Russia’s defence chief made the bold claim that Ukraine was preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device. This accusation reflected the escalating tensions as Moscow struggles to stop Ukrainian advances in the south and prepares its defences for Ukrainian offensives elsewhere.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, made the claims during phone discussions with his colleagues from Turkey, Britain, and France.
In their second phone chat in three days, he also spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. A terse Russian readout of that call, however, did not state whether they again discussed the alleged dirty bomb.
Shoigu expressed alarm about “potential Ukrainian provocations employing a ‘dirty bomb,'” a device that utilises explosives to disperse radioactive waste, according to the Russian defence ministry.
Although it won’t cause the same level of destruction as a nuclear explosion, it might nonetheless expose large areas to radioactive contamination.
Britain vehemently denied the allegations.
In his conversation with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Shoigu allegedly “claimed that Ukraine was contemplating acts facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to exacerbate the situation in Ukraine,” according to the British Ministry of Defense.
According to the ministry, “The Defence Secretary denied these charges and stressed that such allegations should not be exploited as a pretext for further escalation.” “The Defense Secretary also emphasised the intention to deescalate the crisis and the UK’s and wider international support for Ukraine. The UK is prepared to offer support as Ukraine and Russia work to end the conflict.
” Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also dismissed Shoigu’s claims as an “absolute and quite predictable absurdity from those who believe that they blatantly lie and make people believe in that”.
According to the French Ministry of Defense, Shoigu informed Sebastien Lecornu that the situation in Ukraine was “moving towards unmanageable escalation” and that it was swiftly getting worse.
Russian officials have frequently claimed that Ukraine may launch a dirty bomb in a false flag strike and attribute it to Moscow. In response, Ukrainian officials have charged the Kremlin with coming up with such a scheme.
Shoigu’s calls with his colleagues during which he brought up the concern seemed to suggest that the threat of such an assault has reached an unparalleled height.
According to Fyodor Lukyanov, the head of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policies, a Moscow-based organisation of leading foreign policy experts, “it appears that there is a shared feeling that the tensions have approached the level that could raise the real threat for all” in a commentary on Shoigu’s phone calls.
Russian Defense Minister Issues “Dirty Bomb” Provocation Alert
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