Russia reiterated its accusations against Ukraine on Monday, assuring that it had entered “in the final phase” of the manufacture of a “dirty bomb”, allegations swept aside by kyiv, which invited international experts to come and inspect its facilities.
Moscow raised the charges for the first time on Sunday during telephone conversations between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his American, French, British and Turkish counterparts. He had then informed his interlocutors of his “concerns” about “possible provocations on the part of Ukraine with recourse to a ‘dirty bomb'”.
A radiological bomb or “dirty bomb” is made up of conventional explosives surrounded by radioactive materials intended to be scattered into dust at the time of the explosion.
“According to the information we have, two Ukrainian organizations have specific instructions for making the so-called “dirty bomb”. Their work has entered the final phase, ”added General Igor Kirillov, in charge of radioactive substances, chemical and biological products, in the Russian army on Monday.
According to him, “the purpose of this provocation is to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine and thus to launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the world”.
The IAEA invited on site
These allegations were immediately denied by Ukrainian officials, the head of diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, denouncing “absurd” and “dangerous” remarks and President Volodymr Zelensky calling on the world to “react as harshly as possible” to Russian accusations.
On Monday, Mr. Kouleba added that he had spoken with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, on this subject and had “officially invited the IAEA to urgently send experts to peaceful installations in Ukraine. “, these structures where Russia “misleadingly claims” that Ukraine is developing a “dirty bomb” there.
Mr. Grossi “accepted. Unlike Russia, Ukraine has always been and remains transparent. We have nothing to hide,” he said.
Paris, London and Washington have collectively lambasted Moscow’s “false” statements.
Ukrainians and Westerners alike see it as a threat of preparations for a false flag attack, suspecting Russia of being prepared to detonate a “dirty bomb” itself to justify military escalation, for example by employing a tactical nuclear weapon in retaliation.
At the start of its offensive, Moscow had already accused Ukraine of preparing bacteriological weapons in secret laboratories financed by the United States, allegations which had also been denied by kyiv.
“Possible Peace”
The ‘dirty bomb’ allegations come as Russian forces are struggling on multiple fronts in Ukraine, having lost thousands of square kilometers in the northeast in September and are now in retreat in the southern Kherson region. , where the Russian occupation authorities organize evacuations of the population in the face of advances in kyiv.
The Ukrainian command announced on Monday that it had retaken a total of 90 localities from Russian forces in the Kherson region, one of the four territories of Ukraine which Moscow claimed for annexation in September.
Moscow has carried out several series of massive strikes in recent weeks, including with Iranian-made drones, against Ukrainian critical infrastructure. These bombings caused new power cuts across the country on Sunday.
These blackouts prompted authorities to introduce restrictions and to call on Ukrainians to ration their use to “stabilize” the electricity supply.
More than a million Ukrainian homes have been without electricity following Russian attacks on electricity infrastructure, the Ukrainian presidency said on Saturday.
Russia, for its part, denounces a “considerable increase” in Ukrainian fire targeting its border regions, in particular those of Belgorod and Kursk, where defense lines are being built in the event of an attack.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that “peace is possible” in Ukraine when the Ukrainians “decide it”, while Volodymyr Zelensky repeated that he would never negotiate with Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is in power. power.