Ukraine denied this Sunday that it plans to use a “dirty bomb” against Russian forces, as the Russian Defense Minister suggested during telephone conversations with his NATO counterparts.
“Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a dirty bomb are as absurd as they are dangerous,” said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. “First of all, Ukraine is a committed member of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty): we don’t have dirty bombs. Second, Russians often accuse others of what they themselves plan,” he added.
The Russian defense minister today had phone conversations with his NATO counterparts, in which he discussed the situation in Ukraine, according to the ministry. In three calls with British, French and Turkish colleagues, Sergei Shoigu expressed “concern about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a dirty bomb”.
The British Defense Ministry said its Defense Secretary Ben Wallace had “refuted” the allegation that Western countries had tried to help Ukraine escalate the conflict, and warned that “such accusations should not be used as a pretext for an escalation”.
Shoigu also spoke with Lloyd Austin, head of the Pentagon, for the second time since Friday (21). However, he did not mention the idea of a dirty bomb after the phone call.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson on Sunday called Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” “transparently false”. “The world will not be fooled by any attempt to use this accusation as a pretext for escalation,” she warned.
