In a telephone call with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu expressed his concerns regarding Ukraine’s provocations around the potential use of a “dirty bomb.”
“Rajnath Singh and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, spoke on October 26 about the situation in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu expressed his worries on potential provocations by Ukraine using a “dirty bomb,” “Russian Embassy in India tweeted. In response to the phone conversations with Shoigu, Rajnath Singh tweeted, “He gave me an update on the developing situation in Ukraine and expressed his worries about potential provocations involving the use of “dirty bombs.” I reaffirmed India’s position that the path of diplomacy and negotiation must be followed in order to quickly end the conflict.”
Singh further emphasised that neither party should use the nuclear option because the idea of using nuclear or radiological weapons is incompatible with humanity’s core values.
Both leaders spoke on the phone on bilateral defence cooperation and the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that it has information about the Kyiv regime’s plans to commit a provocation by detonating the alleged “dirty bomb” or low-power nuclear warhead during a briefing on radiation security threats by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the nuclear, biological, and chemical protection troops.
The provocation is aimed at accusing Russia of using mass destruction weapon at the Ukrainian theatre of operations that would launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in order to undermine the confidence in Moscow,” added a press release of Kirillov.
The means and forces are prepared to operate in radioactive contamination as part of the arrangements made by the Ministry of Defence to counteract potential provocations from Ukraine.
The US and other Western officials have, however, refuted Moscow’s assertion that Ukraine is preparing to use a ‘dirty bomb,’ calling it a Russian false-flag operation.
A conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological, or chemical components that are dispersed during an explosion is referred to as a “dirty bomb.”
The phrase is sometimes used synonymously with a radiological dispersal device (RDD), a bomb that makes use of radioactive elements.
The US, France, and Britain—three of the other nuclear-armed nations on the UN Security Council—stated in unison on Sunday that Russia’s assertions were “clearly incorrect.”
They believe that Russia may deploy a dirty bomb in a “false flag” strike, possibly to legitimise the use of conventional nuclear weapons as Moscow finds itself at a disadvantage in eastern and southern Ukraine. This is in line with Kyiv’s suspicions.
The UN Security Council was informed by Russia on Tuesday that Ukraine is allegedly planning to use a “dirty bomb” on its own soil.