Moscow insists on the threat of “a potential provocation by Ukraine”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. © Sputnik/Vadim Savitsky
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has warned his Indian and Chinese counterparts that Kiev might detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ – a conventional munition with radioactive elements. He raised the issue during calls with Rajnath Singh and Wei Fenghe respectively on Wednesday.
Shoigu relayed “his concerns about a potential provocation by Ukraine,” according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry. Moscow’s top military official had previously contacted his colleagues in the US, UK, and several other nations to outline the threat.
Later, Singh wrote on Twitter that he told Shoigu neither side should resort to the use of nuclear or radiological weapons. He reiterated that India calls on the parties to “pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.”
On Monday, the foreign ministers of the US, UK, and France released a joint statement rejecting Russia’s claims as “transparently false allegations.”
Kiev also denied the accusations, with Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claiming that Russia is waging a disinformation campaign that “might be aimed at creating a pretext for a false flag operation.”
On Tuesday, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, addressed a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres which emphasized that Moscow would consider the use of the explosive device by Kiev “an act of nuclear terrorism.”
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