(new: reactions from London and Kyiv)
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) – Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has told the European nuclear powers Great Britain and France that Kyiv is planning to detonate a radioactive bomb to discredit Moscow. Shoigu “conveyed his concern about possible provocations of Ukraine with the help of a ‘dirty bomb’,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. He spoke to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and British Minister Ben Wallace. The Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also received a call from Shoigu.
After the phone call, London said Wallace had rejected the allegations and warned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for further escalation. The Minister of Defense also emphasized the desire for de-escalation.
Conventional explosive devices that also scatter radioactive material are referred to as “dirty bombs”. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Russian lies about Ukraine’s alleged plans to use a ‘dirty bomb’ are as absurd as they are dangerous,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded on Twitter. Ukraine is loyal to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “The Russians often blame others for what they are planning themselves,” Kuleba warned in Kyiv.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the situation in Ukraine is becoming more and more critical towards an “uncontrolled escalation”. Russia’s state-run Ria Novosti news agency claimed that Kyiv has virtually completed the completion of a small tactical nuclear bomb. Ukraine is ready to ignite it on its own soil “to launch a strong anti-Russian campaign intended to undermine trust in Moscow”.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine hasn’t gone as planned by Moscow for months. The advance initially faltered, and in the meantime the Russian units have even gotten partially on the defensive. Against this background, speculation about a possible Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons against the neighboring country is increasing. Moscow denies such intentions./bal/DP/he