Russia accuses Ukraine of planning to set off 'dirty bombs,' but foreign ministers around the world swiftly reject the claim
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- Russia's defense minister has accused Ukraine of preparing to use radioactive "dirty bombs" in the war.
- He made the claim in phone calls with his counterparts from the US, UK, France, and Turkey.
- The US, UK, France, and Ukraine rejected the claim amid concerns that the war is escalating.
Russia's defense minister has accused Ukraine of preparing to use radioactive "dirty bombs" in the war — a claim rejected by the US, the UK, France, and Ukraine itself.
Russia's defense ministry said Sergei Shoigu expressed his concerns about "possible Ukrainian provocations involving a 'dirty bomb,'" per the Associated Press. A "dirty bomb" is made with conventional explosives and radioactive materials.
Shoigu made the accusations in phone calls with his counterparts from the US, UK, France, and Turkey on Sunday, per AP.
The US, the UK, and France dismissed Russia's claim about "dirty bombs" in a joint statement on Monday.
"Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia's transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory," the foreign ministers of the US, UK, and France said in the statement. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also hit back at the allegation about "dirty bombs" in a video address on Sunday. "If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this," Zelenskyy said.
There is growing concern that the war in Ukraine may be escalating. It follows previous nuclear threats made by Russian President Vladimir Putin since the conflict started.
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