Moscow relayed concern about a possible false flag attack by Kiev. The warning of a possible false flag attack by the Kiev regime came during talks between the Russian defense chief and his Western counterparts.
The Russian defense minister has shared concerns with his French counterpart of a possible provocation by Ukraine with the use of a “dirty bomb”.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergey Shoigu and Sebastien Lecornu spoke by phone on Sunday, discussing “the situation in Ukraine, which is consistently veering towards further uncontrolled escalation”.
Shoigu, in an apparent reference to previous media reports, voiced concerns about a “possible Ukrainian provocation” which could involve the use of a “dirty bomb.”
Earlier on Sunday, RIA Novosti cited “sources in different countries including Ukraine” as saying that Kiev is preparing to detonate “a dirty bomb or a low-yield nuclear weapon” on its own territory. According to the Russian news agency, the goal would be to accuse Moscow of using weapons of mass destruction in a ploy to “launch a powerful anti-Russia campaign”.
The report claimed that two Ukrainian institutions have already been tasked with manufacturing a “dirty bomb,” with the work now at “the final stages.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration is reportedly engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with British officials in a bid to secure the transfer of nuclear arms components to Kiev.
A so-called dirty bomb uses a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material. While it could not rival a nuclear warhead in terms of power, such a device could disperse a radiation cloud within several kilometers of the explosion.
The talks between Shoigu and Lecornu come days after the Russian defense minister had a rare telephone conversation with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. While the details of the talks are scarce, the sides are said to have discussed “issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine.”
According to the British Defense Ministry’s readout of the conversation between its head, Ben Wallace, and his Russian counterpart Shoigu, the Russian minister “alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.” Wallace “refuted these claims” and warned Shoigu that “such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation,” the ministry said.
A statement on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s call with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu:
A statement on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's call with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu: pic.twitter.com/BbQ9muxKeC
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 23, 2022
Earlier, in an interview with Deutsche Welle, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that any use of nuclear weapons by Russia in Ukraine will lead to “severe consequences” for Moscow, but refused to reveal details on these. At the same time, he said that the risk of such a Russian attack remains low.
Numerous Russian officials have been insisting that the country wasn’t threatening anybody with nukes and have pointed to Russia’s military doctrine, which states that nuclear weapons may only be used if such arms or other weapons of mass destruction are being deployed against the state, or if it is faced with an existential threat from conventional arms.