‘Transparently false’: U.S., allies reject Russia’s claim that Ukraine preparing ‘dirty bomb’ attack
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The U.S. and its chief European allies late Sunday rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is making ready a “soiled bomb” assault in opposition to Russian troops in Ukrainian territory, casting these allegations because the potential first step in a false flag operation that might in the end spark a nuclear alternate.
In a joint assertion, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the overseas ministers of Britain and France accused Russia of planting the seeds for escalation in Ukraine by elevating the potential for such an assault.
Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoygu first raised the concept of a unclean bomb strike throughout conversations with U.S. and European protection officers earlier within the weekend, however the Kremlin has supplied no proof of the alleged Ukrainian plan.
The U.S., Britain and France flatly denied Russia’s claims.
“Earlier in the present day, the protection ministers of every of our international locations spoke to Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoygu at his request. Our international locations made clear that all of us reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is making ready to make use of a unclean bomb by itself territory,” the three nations stated in an announcement. “The world would see via any try to make use of this allegation as a pretext for escalation. We additional reject any pretext for escalation by Russia.”
Later Sunday, Mr. Blinken spoke to Ukrainian Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The 2 males mentioned the soiled bomb allegations and the “broader implications” of the Russian conflict in Ukraine, the State Division stated in a readout of the decision.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and different high Russian officers for months have made thinly veiled references to nuclear weapons and their potential willingness to make use of a tactical nuclear bomb in Ukraine.
Such a transfer would transform the character of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and would virtually absolutely draw a direct navy response from the U.S. and NATO, which may result in a broader nuclear battle.
Mr. Shoygu’s allegations Sunday might be step one in Russia’s justification for such a strike. If Moscow have been to say that Ukraine focused Russian troops with a unclean bomb — a tool containing standard explosives combined with radiological materials — it may use that incident as justification to reply with its personal nuclear assault.
Nonetheless, Pentagon officers have stated repeatedly in current weeks that they’ve seen no indication {that a} nuclear assault is on the rapid horizon.
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