This past Sunday(10/23/22), Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, in an address to French, Turkish and British counterparts, claimed that the Ukrainian government plans to put a “dirty bomb” into use, referring to conventional weapons containing radioactive materials. However, in his claims of “possible provocations” by Kyiv, he tabled no evidence and left the part out completely in his communication to Lloyd Austin, Pentagon chief. Since Ukraine abandoned its nuclear weapons projects in the 1990s, the evidence that it might still have radioactive materials in its military arsenal is non-existent.
The U.S.A and other Western nations have dismissed false claims by the Russians of the Ukrainians planning to use dirty bombs since Putin’s government has brought up no evidence to support the claims. The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has said that the whole world will see through this desperate attempt at escalating the conflict, alleging to provide all the necessary support to Kyiv.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Secretary of State had earlier denounced the claims. On Sunday, he termed them “dangerous” and “absurd,” saying that the Russians have developed a habit of accusing others of what they are planning to do.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, made a swift reaction to the claims by Moscow by calling for a response from the international community that shows unity. He said that the fact that Russia made the claims, the direct conclusion based on previous behavior, can only be that the Russians have done it already.
Zelensky said that we all understand who is the most probable source of all dirty imaginings brought forth in the war. He quoted the Russians’ blackmail using the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant radiation disaster.
In its statement, the Institute for the Study of War held that it was unlikely that Russia would undertake a false flag operation. They, in the process, dismissed the claims by Shoigu as saber-rattling moves aimed at intimidating the western allies to Ukraine and breaking the NATO alliance apart.
