Topline
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told foreign defense officials on Sunday—without citing any evidence—Ukraine could be planning to make use of a “dirty bomb,” a claim U.S. and U.K. officials warned could be a pretext to ramp up Russia’s invasion, weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin floated the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a press conference on February 18, 2020 in Rome, … [+]
Key Facts
Shoigu discussed the use of a “dirty bomb”—or an explosive that contains radioactive nuclear waste material–-in separate phone calls with British, French and Turkish defense officials on Sunday, according to Russian readouts of the conversations seen by Politico.
Shoigu told his French counterpart, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, he was concerned about “possible provocations” from Ukraine using a dirty bomb, the Russian readout said, noting the situation in Ukraine is “rapidly detoriorating.”
The Russian defense chief also purportedly discussed dirty bombs with U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
Shoigu did not provide evidence that Ukraine is planning to use weapons with nuclear waste material in any of the three conversations, according to Russia’s readouts.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba fervently denied Russia’s allegations in a tweet and said Ukraine doesn’t possess any dirty bombs, adding that “Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves.”
The British Ministry of Defence said in a statement that Shoigu accused Ukraine of planning military actions to ramp up the war, which Wallace refuted, warning that Russia should not use the allegations “as a pretext for greater escalation.”
Chief Critic
White House National Security Council spokeperson Adrienne Watson rejected Shoigu’s allegations, calling the accusations of Ukraine preparing to use dirty bombs “transparently false.” Watson added that the world would “see through any attempt” by Russia to use the allegation to escalate the invasion of Ukraine. Shoigu also spoke with his American counterpart—Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin—on Sunday, the two leaders’ second call in three days, and a Pentagon readout said Austin “rejected any pretext for Russian escalation.”
Tangent
Russia has made similar unfounded accusations about Ukraine planning to use dirty bombs and nuclear weapons since the early days of the invasion. In March, Russian claimed it uncovered evidence of a bioweapons program operated by the Ukrainian government and funded by the U.S., which Kyiv and Washington both denied.
Key Background
Monday marks nine months since Russia invaded Ukraine. According to a Gallup poll released last week, 70% of Ukranians support fighting until Ukraine wins the war, compared to 26% who said they would prefer negotiations to end the conflict quickly. Rhetoric on both sides has ramped up in recent weeks, particularly earlier this month when the the only bridge linking Russia and Crimea was damaged in an explosion, which Putin called “an act of terrorism” by Ukraine, which has not claimed responsibility for the attack. Putin has also implied he may be willing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, ramping up his threats.
Further Reading
Russia defense chief makes unfounded claims of Kyiv ready to use ‘dirty bomb’ (Politico)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/10/23/russian-defense-chief-claims-without-evidence-ukraine-could-use-dirty-bomb/