Russia Says Its Forces are Preparing to Work Under Radioactive Contamination

Russia is accusing Ukraine of preparing to use a dirty bomb

A Russian military official on Monday said that Russia is preparing its forces to work under “radioactive contamination” as Moscow is accusing Ukraine of planning to use a munition mixed with nuclear material, known as a dirty bomb.

Ukraine and its Western backers have strongly denied the Russian accusation, but the Russians continue to warn of the potential use of a dirty bomb and plan to bring the issue to the UN.

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, claimed that Ukraine could use a dirty bomb and accuse Russia of detonating a low-yield nuclear weapon.

Kirillov said that “work has been organized by the ministry of defense to counter possible provocations from the Ukrainian side: forces and resources have been put in readiness to perform tasks in conditions of radioactive contamination.”

On Sunday, the US, Britain, and France issued a joint statement accusing Russia of making false claims about Ukraine’s potential use of a dirty bomb. The three countries said the claims were “transparently false allegations” and suggested it was a “pretext” for Russia to escalate its war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hit back at the Western countries. “The unfounded denials of our Western colleagues, saying all this is fiction and that Russia itself plans to do something similar in order to later blame the Zelensky regime — this is not a serious conversation,” he said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart on Monday for the first time since May. According to the Russian news agency RIA, the two military leaders discussed Moscow’s dirty bomb allegations.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.