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.

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  • 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
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