DirtyB

 source: La Presse, AFP

translation: BingTranslate/doxa-louise

War in Ukraine, day 242 

Moscow reaffirms that Kyiv is preparing a "dirty bomb"

Moscow's allegations against Kyiv that Ukraine wants to use a "dirty bomb" are "false", affirmed  Monday in a joint statement Paris, London and Washington.

(Brussels) NATO and the West warned Russia on Monday that it should not create an "escalation" in the conflict in Ukraine under the "pretext" of a "dirty bomb" that Moscow again accuses Kyiv of preparing.

Moscow first made the accusations on Sunday in telephone conversations between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his American, French, British and Turkish counterparts.

WHAT IS A "DIRTY BOMB"?

A "dirty bomb" is not a nuclear bomb but a conventional bomb surrounded by radioactive materials to be disseminated as dust at the time of the explosion.

The term "dirty bomb", also called "radiological dispersal device" (DDR), refers more generally to any detonating device disseminating one or more chemically or biologically toxic products (CBRN-nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical).

This type of bomb is not considered an atomic weapon, the explosion of which results from nuclear fission (A-bomb) or fusion (H-bomb) and causes immense destruction over a wide radius. The construction of an atomic bomb requires the use of complex uranium enrichment technologies.

Much less complex to make, the "dirty bomb" uses a conventional explosive and has the main purpose of contaminating a geographical area and the people there both by direct radiation and by the ingestion or inhalation of radioactive materials.

The main danger of a "dirty bomb" comes from the explosion, not radiation. Only people very close to the blast site would be exposed to sufficient radiation to cause immediate serious illness.

However, radioactive dust and smoke can spread further and pose a health hazard if the dust is inhaled or contaminated food or water is ingested.

"NATO Allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use this as a pretext for an escalation" of the conflict in Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg tweeted Monday night after speaking with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace.

Paris, London and Washington had previously responded together on Monday for Moscow's "false" statements: "No one would be fooled by an attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for an escalation."

A radiological bomb or "dirty bomb" consists of conventional explosives surrounded by radioactive materials intended to be disseminated during the explosion.

Earlier on Monday, General Igor Kirillov, in charge of radioactive substances, chemicals and biological products in the Russian army, reiterated these accusations, saying that the manufacture of a "dirty bomb" by the Ukrainians, who would then accuse Russia of using it, had "entered its final phase".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that "there are serious suspicions that such things may be planned."

"Of course, we see the reaction of the Western media. It does not surprise us. It goes in the direction of reckless support for their protégé Zelensky, allowing him to indulge in any Russophobic action, not only in words, but in the bombing of civilian targets, civilian populations, "added the head of Russian diplomacy at a press conference in Moscow.

"We will see the dirty bomb problem to the end. We have every interest in preventing such a terrible provocation," he said.

Russian Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov also held talks Monday with his American counterparts, General Mark Milley, and Britain, Admiral Tony Radakin, about the "dirty bomb," according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The British Ministry of Defence said Tony Radakin "rejected Russia's allegations".

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky again mocked Monday night, during his daily address, the "various idiocies about Ukraine" uttered by Moscow: "Ukraine is breaking the so-called second army in the world, and now Russia can only beg."

The IAEA will come to the site

Dmytro Kuleba asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to "urgently send experts" to the two structures where Russia "falsely claims" that Ukraine is developing a "dirty bomb".

The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, confirmed a visit "in the coming days" in a statement Monday night, saying that one of the two places had been inspected "a month ago" and that "no undeclared nuclear activity had been found there".

Ukrainians and Westerners see this as the threat of preparations for a false flag attack, suspecting Russia is ready to detonate a "dirty bomb" itself to justify military escalation, for example by using a tactical nuclear weapon in retaliation.

"There is a recurring pattern in this conflict ... The Russians blamed the Ukrainians and other countries for what they were planning themselves. That's what worries us," said U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Nevertheless, "we saw no reason to change our nuclear posture" and "no indication that the Russians were preparing to deploy a nuclear weapon," he said.

At the beginning of its offensive, Moscow had already accused Ukraine of preparing bacteriological weapons in secret laboratories financed by the United States, allegations denied by Kyiv.

The "dirty bomb" allegations come as Russian forces are struggling on several fronts in Ukraine, having lost thousands of square kilometers in September in the northeast and now retreating in the Kherson region (south), where the Russian occupation authorities are organizing evacuations of the population.

The Ukrainian command announced Monday that it had retaken a total of 90 localities in the Kherson region, one of the four territories of Ukraine whose annexation Moscow claimed in September, and four villages in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (east).

Drones and electricity

Moscow has carried out several rounds of massive strikes in recent weeks, including with Iranian-made suicide drones, against critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

The Ukrainian president assured Monday that Russia had ordered "about 2,000 Iranian Shahed drones" to support its bombing campaign in Ukraine. He criticized the neutrality observed by Israel since the invasion of his country by Russia, which he said allowed an "alliance" between Moscow and Tehran and the delivery of Iranian drones to the Russian army.

"We have not provided Russia with weapons or drones to use in the war against Ukraine," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Monday, repeating previous denials. "If it becomes clear to us that Russia has used Iranian drones against Ukraine, we will certainly not be indifferent to this issue."

Russian bombing on Sunday caused new power cuts across Ukraine, prompting restrictions and calls for rationing.

More than a million Ukrainian households have been left without electricity following Russian attacks on electricity infrastructure, the Ukrainian presidency said Saturday. Rotating power cuts were taking place on Monday in different districts of Kyiv.

Russia denounces for its part a "considerable increase" in Ukrainian fire targeting its border regions, including those of Belgorod and Kursk where defense lines are being built in case of attack.