Through the threat of the “dirty bomb”, “the Russian strategy is the depopulation of Ukraine”, said Monday, October 24 Galia Ackerman, historian and journalist, specialist in Russia and the post-Soviet space. Russia assured on Monday that Ukraine had entered “in the final stage” of making a “dirty bomb” for Russia. For Galia Ackerman, “these warnings may mean that the Russians could prepare an attack with a dirty bomb”.
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franceinfo: What credit should be given to Moscow’s statements on “the dirty bomb”?
Galia Ackerman: None. I think what is likely to happen is exactly the opposite. Just like before launching the invasion of Ukraine, the Russians were saying that it was the Ukrainians who wanted to attack Russia. They did the same thing in Syria when there was Bashar who used chemical weapons, the Russians said that it was the White Helmets who carried out chemical attacks to harm the reputation of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In this case, these warnings may mean that the Russians might be planning an attack with a dirty bomb.
What is a “dirty bomb”?
A dirty bomb is a bomb that contains fissile material inside that does not cause a chain reaction – such as enormous temperatures or damage to the population as happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki – but this nuclear charge is projected into the air. This causes less immediate damage than a conventional nuclear bomb. But it creates uninhabitable land for a very long time, like what happened in Chernobyl.
What is Russia’s objective in brandishing the “dirty bomb” threat?
The Zaporizhia plant could be the target of this Russian attack, even if they pass it off as a Ukrainian attack. But if they manage to blow up one of the reactors of this plant – the largest in Europe – it could create effects similar to the Chernobyl disaster but over an even larger territory. The Russian strategy is the depopulation of Ukraine: they have already made millions of people migrate to Europe, this would cause a huge exodus.
Is peace with Putin unthinkable for Ukrainians?
Peace with Putin, or anyone succeeding him who does not completely renounce an occupation of Ukraine, of course is impossible for the Ukrainians. They want peace once their territory is free from Russian occupation. The Russian annexation of four territories desecrates the occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014.