Russian Minister: Ukraine is preparing a provocation with a radioactive device

Russian Minister Shoigu made claims during calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Mr. Shoigu has expressed concern for the possible “provocations on the part of Ukraine” using a device that thanks to explosives blasts allows the distribution of radioactive waste. It does not have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but it can expose vast areas to radioactive pollution.

Russian authorities have repeatedly repeated claims that Ukraine could detonate such a bomb and blame Moscow for this. For their part, Ukrainian authorities have accused Moscow of preparing such a plan.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace strongly rejected Mr. Shoigu's claim and warned Moscow not to use it as an excuse for escalation of the conflict.

The British Defence Ministry noted that during the call, Mr. Shoigu “claimed Ukraine is planning these actions with the ease of Western countries, including Britain, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine”.

The British Defence Ministry said that “The defence secretary rejected these claims and warned that these audiences should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation. The defence secretary also reiterated the support of Britain and the broader international community for Ukraine, as well as the desire to defuse the” conflict.

Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, also dismissed Mr. Shoigu's claims as “an absolute and totally predictable absurdity by those who think they can lie openly and make people believe”. Ukrainian senior diplomat Dmytro Kuleba said that his country is neither available nor planning to collect radioactive pollution bombs. / VOA