News Feed

FM Kuleba: 'Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ misinformation campaign might be aimed at creating pretext for false-flag operation'

1 min read

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's claims that Ukraine could escalate the situation with a dirty bomb — a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. Russia provided no evidence to substantiate its allegation.

On Oct. 23, Shoigu spoke on the matter with a number of NATO officials, including U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

Kuleba said that in his call with Blinken they "agreed that Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ disinformation campaign might be aimed at creating a pretext for a false-flag operation."

"Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a ‘dirty bomb’ are as absurd as they are dangerous," Kuleba said in his earlier statement. "Firstly, Ukraine is a committed NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) member: we neither have any ‘dirty bombs’, nor plan to acquire any. Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves."

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

Video

The episode covers Russian war crimes in Pokrovsk and continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, including missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv. While Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire with Ukraine, has President Trump finally shifted his approach to Russia?

Show More