As Russian soldiers risk being routed in the south near the city of Kherson, Moscow has hinted, without evidence, that Kyiv could utilize such an explosion on its territory.
The West has labeled Russian claims that Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” in the conflict as “nuclear blackmail” and disregarded them.
With its forces facing a run of military defeats and the possibility of being routed in the south, the Kremlin has pushed charges that Kyiv may utilize such an explosion on its territory – without providing evidence.
The United Kingdom, the United States, and France have dismissed the allegations as “obviously untrue” and warned that any attempt to exploit them as a pretext for escalation would fail.
As Russian missiles and drones continue to bombard the country’s electrical networks, Ukrainians are being encouraged to conserve electricity.
The Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu spoke on the phone with his British, French, and Turkish counterparts about the “rapidly deteriorating situation” in Ukraine, the ministry stated.
He asserted, without evidence, that Ukraine may escalate by employing so-called “dirty bombs” — conventional explosives mixed with radioactive material.
Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons since, in 1994, it gave up the nuclear weapons it acquired from the Soviet Union.
Russia, on the other hand, has asserted that it could defend its territory with its nuclear arsenal and has regularly engaged in nuclear bluster to provoke the West.
Dimitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, emphasized that Shoigu’s warning constituted a genuine threat.
Mr. Peskov stated, “Their mistrust of the information provided by the Russian side does not indicate that the threat of employing a dirty bomb does not exist.”
“There is such a threat, and the defense minister has informed his interlocutors about it. It is up to them to decide whether to trust it.”
Everyone recognizes, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that Russia is “the source of everything vile that can be imagined in this war.”
In a Telegram message, he urged the international community to respond in the “toughest way imaginable.”
He said, “If Russia has planned another round of growing stakes and another escalation step, it must realize now, in advance of any fresh ‘dirt,’ that the world will not accept this.
The Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, described Moscow’s accusations as “false” and “nuclear blackmail.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, the United States, and France stated: “Our nations have made it clear that we reject Russia’s demonstrably baseless claims that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb on its territory.
“Any attempt to exploit this claim as a pretext for escalation would fall flat in the eyes of the international community.
Further, we reject any pretext for Russia to escalate.
