Russia might use a dirty bomb as a pretext, Western officials warn
Top representatives from the US, UK, and France issued a warning that Russia’s nuclear posture had not changed and that they didn’t think a decision had been made to use a tactical nuclear weapon.
Members of a Ukrainian drone unit searching for targets in Russia. There has been a little direct benefit for the Kremlin as Ukraine continues to make progress against the Russian military.
Members of a Ukrainian drone unit searching for targets in Russia. There has been a little direct benefit for the Kremlin as Ukraine continues to make progress against the Russian military.
Top representatives from the US, UK, and France rejected assertions made by the Kremlin that Kyiv was planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own soil and sought to expose what they claimed was an obvious plot by Moscow to establish a pretext for intensifying the war in Ukraine on Monday.
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A belief in Washington, London, and Paris that President Vladimir V. Putin’s commanders may be laying the groundwork for a rapid escalation in the war was reflected in the strikingly public effort to expose the suspected Russian maneuver, which started with a joint statement released on Sunday by the three allies.
The officials made it plain that a move in that direction was their main concern even though they claimed that Russia’s nuclear posture had not changed and that they did not believe a decision had been made to use a tactical nuclear weapon.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, stated on Monday that “we have not seen any cause to modify our own nuclear posture, nor do we have signs that Russia is prepared to deploy nuclear weapons.” We wanted to convey a very clear message since we had heard these quite alarming things.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and other top diplomats pointed out that Russia has a history of blaming others for carrying out the actions Moscow is considering — as well as of conducting “false flag” operations that may incite involvement.
Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian military minister, asserted over the weekend that Ukraine was getting ready to use a “dirty bomb,” a term for a conventional explosive like dynamite that has been wrapped in radiological waste. Moscow’s top military official, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, made the accusation in a series of phone contacts with NATO countries on Monday.
Such a bomb lacks the explosive capability of a nuclear weapon, making it not a nuclear device. However, it is a potent tool of terror, and the radiological contamination that results can render a number of city blocks inhabitable for a while. Additionally, because it uses nuclear material, it is frequently misconstrued as an atomic weapon in public discourse.
The American, NATO, and Russian officials made a flurry of phone conversations after a more than six-month period of scant communication. Additionally, American authorities claimed that there was more fear about a potential Russian nuclear attack than at any other time throughout the war, as seen by the calls’ sudden frequency and the warnings that followed.
It happened exactly 60 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, whose lessons President Biden’s advisers have just studied and discussed. They claim that they are worried that Mr. Putin may turn to unconventional weapons or bluff that he is prepared to use his nuclear arsenal to attempt to sour the Western alliance with Ukraine because he is dissatisfied with the shortcomings of his conventional forces.
The uncommon joint statement from the top diplomats of the United States, France, and Britain had echoes of the action taken before Russia invaded Ukraine to reveal intelligence about its impending actions in the hopes of confusing Mr. Putin’s story. Some of those events did occur, though not all of them happened, and Mr. Putin was not deterred from the invasion.
State of the Conflict
Anti-UAV Warfare Ukraine has shifted its attention to an aggressive counter-drone plan after Russia started terrorizing Ukrainian cities in recent weeks using drones built in Iran. Surprisingly, the hastily put-together effort has been successful.
Russia’s increased strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure and essential utility networks signal a new stage in the conflict, one that threatens millions of people with the possibility of spending the winter without access to heat, water, or power in partially ruined structures.
A Fresh Front? Thousands of Russian soldiers are stationed in Belarus, Russia’s western border, sparking concerns that Moscow may be preparing to launch a new front in the conflict. However, representatives from Kyiv and Washington are questioning whether the buildup poses a real threat.
An Opportunity: According to American authorities, Ukraine’s military may have the chance to advance in the Donbas region over the next six weeks, before fall mud spreads, and possibly seize Kherson.
The three governments denied “Russia’s plainly bogus assertions” concerning a dirty bomb and acknowledged that their military ministers had each spoken with Mr. Shoigu.
The statement said: “Any attempt to use this claim as a pretext for escalation would be seen through by the world.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, released a statement that was carefully crafted and particularly highlighted the dirty bomb.
We deny Russia’s blatantly untrue accusations that Ukraine is ready to use a dirty bomb on its own soil, she said. However, we are certainly concerned about the false claim being used as a justification for further escalation, she continued. And as we have stated clearly, we deny these accusations. Therefore, we have not seen a need to change our own behavior, like our nuclear posture.
