Disinfo: Ukraine is going to use a dirty bomb to accuse Russia of using tactical nuclear weapons

Summary

Kyiv plans to blow up a low-yield nuclear weapon and blame Russia for it.

The Russian Defense Ministry has information that Kyiv is preparing a provocation to detonate a "dirty bomb" or a low-yield nuclear weapon on the territory of Ukraine. Thus, the Kyiv authorities want to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction, after which the most powerful anti-Russian campaign will be launched in the world.

The detonation of a "dirty bomb" can be disguised as an abnormal operation of a Russian nuclear weapon, where highly enriched uranium is used as a charge. A possible detonation of a nuclear weapon by Kyiv would lead to radioactive contamination of an area of up to several thousand square metres.

The presence of radioactive isotopes in the air will later be recorded by the sensors of the International Monitoring System in Europe with the subsequent accusation of the Russian Federation using tactical nuclear weapons.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about false flag operations and nuclear weapons attack. Such claims are a part of a broader pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign accompanying the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, trying to place the blame for the war's atrocities on Ukraine.

This is not the first time the Kremlin’s manipulation and disinformation machine has used a deep-seated and very reasonable fear of a nuclear disaster to advance its political and military goals in Ukraine.

There is no evidence to back the claim that Ukraine is preparing a nuclear provocation or a use of the weapons of mass distruction. Ukraine has been a nuclear-free country since 1994 when the Budapest memorandum was signed.

In 1998, Ukraine signed an Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and in 2006 a Protocol Additional to the Agreement which provides for strict control not only over the nuclear material present on the territory of the country, but for any nuclear research.

On October 23, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu phoned the defense ministers of four NATO countries: France, Turkey, Great Britain and the US. Shoigu said that Ukraine was allegedly preparing a "provocation" with the explosion of a "dirty bomb" on its territory. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not provide any evidence of this.

Western leaders reject Russia's 'dirty bomb' claim and warned that such allegations can be used as a pretext for greater escalation.

Ukraine asked the IAEA to "immediately send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine, which the Russian Federation falsely describes as sites for the development of a 'dirty bomb'."

Оn the contrary, the West has real concerns’ Russia could use nuclear weapons. It is Russia who is making irresponsible hints and statements about the possibility of using nuclear arms in its war against Ukraine. For several years now the Russian infosphere has seen nuclear threats being made against the west by figures like Dmitry Kiselyov or Vladimir Zhirinovsky are famous for this. Other Russian officials to make such statements are Dmitry Medvedev, Ramzan Kadyrov, Margarita Simonyan or even Vladimir Putin who specified that “it was not a bluff”.

See more disinformation cases: London is helping Kyiv turn the country into a nuclear wasteland; Washington and the Kyiv regime's actions pose a threat of nuclear catastrophe; Russia does not threaten anyone with nuclear weapons; Ukraine was close to turning Russian cities into Chernobyl.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 314
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24/10/2022
  • Article language(s) Russian, Armenian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine
  • Keywords: Nuclear issues, false flag, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Russia's Ministry of Defence, Budapest memorandum, Anti-Russian
see more

Disinfo: Western lobby demands Zelenskyy raise stakes of the crisis

In February, Western lobby (US Democrats) and financial groups in London demanded that Zelenskyy heat up the war in Ukraine because some of them were facing an election year, while others wanted to win by taking away the gas valve from Germany and putting the whole of Europe on high gas and fuel prices.

Now Zelenskyy is being asked to raise the stakes of the Ukrainian crisis, e.g., wide offensive operations, man-made global disaster, a tragedy for the whole world, chemical, nuclear, environmental, or other reasons.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory and recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative questioning Ukrainian statehood and sovereignty. The goal of this narrative is to try to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, as a non-sovereign puppet of the West, accusing him and the West of provoking the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine.

Disinfo: Russia forced into a conflict in "historical Russia"

Russia did not willingly enter into a conflict in "historical Russia", but it was forced to because many people want to eliminate Russia, since it is a "thorn in the eye" for them.

Disproof

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media denying Ukrainian statehood by claiming that it is part of "historical Russia". This claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.

In reality, the territory of present-day Ukraine had been divided between the Russian Empire and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for centuries. Many new countries appeared in Europe in the wake of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution in 1917 and World War One (1914-1918), the Ukrainian People’s republic (aka the Ukrainian National Republic) being one of these. It was later occupied by Communist Russia and forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union. Ukraine assumed its internationally recognised borders in 1991 when the USSR broke up.

Disinfo: The EU, not Russia, is behind the energy, food and economic crises

The EU continues to falsely accuse Russia of being responsible for provoking the food and energy crises, and now also the economic crisis. The EU purpose for spreading misinformation is clear - to obscure the facts that the energy, food and economic problems facing the world, especially developing countries, are primarily caused by the bad EU policies. These policies are deeply rooted in the Western mentality of merciless exploitation of natural and human resources in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as waging trade and economic wars against Russia, including the imposition of unilateral sanctions unprecedented in its scope and consequences for the global economy.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about sanctions in the context of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.

The claim that sanctions are the cause of economic crisis is an attempt to deflect Russia's responsibility for the global food and energy crisis. In fact, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has also destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.