Moscow has argued that Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” — a device that contains radioactive material as well as conventional explosives — in Russia, and Western countries have accused Russia of conspiring to use the threat of a nuclear bomb as a pretext to escalate into Ukraine. Who tried to use the “dirty bomb” in recent history and why did no one succeed?

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told several of his defense colleagues, including French Minister Sebastien Lecorne, Britain’s Ben Wallace, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, that Moscow was concerned that Ukraine would detonate such a bomb on its territory. territory in order to later accuse Russia of using it.

RIA Novosti, one of the press agencies of the Russian state, wrote early Sunday morning, before Shoigu’s calls, that, according to “reliable sources from several countries, including Ukraine,” Kyiv would prepare a challenge with “dirty weapons.” bomb” on its own territory.

But Russia has not provided any evidence, and Ukraine, as well as France, Great Britain and the United States, have rejected the accusations.

“If Russia says that Ukraine is preparing something, it means only one thing: Russia has already prepared all this,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi responded, accusing Moscow of seeking to justify such an escalation of the conflict.

Have you used a “dirty bomb” before?

Who tried to use the “dirty bomb” in recent history and why did no one succeed?

Nowhere in the world has there been a successful “dirty bomb” attack. However, there were attempts, the BBC writes.

• In 1996, rebels in Chechnya planted a bomb with dynamite and cesium-137 in Moscow’s Izmailovsky Park. Cesium was extracted from cancer treatment equipment. Employees of the security service discovered the place, and the “dirty bomb” was neutralized.
• In 1998, Chechnya’s special services found and defused a “dirty bomb” planted near a railway track.
• In 2002, Jose Padilla, an American citizen with ties to al-Qaeda, was arrested in Chicago on suspicion of plotting a “dirty bomb” attack. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
• Two years later, Dhiren Barot, a British citizen and al-Qaeda member, was arrested in London and later sentenced to 30 years in prison for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in the US and UK that involved the use of a dirty bomb.
• Neither Padilla nor Baro had time to collect their devices.

Why was Russia accused of using a “dirty bomb”?

While on the battlefield, Ukrainian troops conducted new offensive operations in northeastern Ukraine, and Russian troops continued to prepare to withdraw from Kherson, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu began calling his Western colleagues about reports that Ukraine was preparing a “dirty bomb” attack under false flag trying to slow down or even suspend the Western military aid that Kyiv receives, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Serhiy Shoigu may have been trying to slow or freeze Western military aid to Ukraine and possibly weaken the NATO alliance in the tense talks he had with several NATO defense ministers on Sunday.

On Sunday, Shoigu called his counterparts in France, Turkey, Britain and the United States, saying Ukraine was preparing to launch a false-flag attack using a “dirty bomb,” meaning conventional explosives mixed with non-nuclear radioactive material, to blame Russia in the use of weapons of mass destruction, while Russian state media amplified this information.

However, the conversations held by Shoigu had small differences.

According to ISW, it is unlikely that the Kremlin is preparing an imminent “dirty bomb” attack under a false flag, as Shoigu’s statements actually confirm what Moscow has accused since the beginning of the war: Western powers are helping Ukraine to launch a false flag WMD attack.

Moreover, back in April, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had information that the US was “preparing provocations to accuse the Russian armed forces of using chemical, biological or tactical nuclear weapons.”

What is the “dirty bomb” that Russia claims Ukraine wants to use?

The “dirty bomb” that Moscow says Ukraine wants to detonate in Russia is not a nuclear bomb, but a conventional bomb with radioactive materials that will disperse as dust during the explosion, AFP notes.

The term “dirty bomb” or “radiological dispersal device” (RDD) generally refers to any explosive device that releases one or more toxic chemical or biological products (NRBC – nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical).

This type of bomb is not considered a nuclear weapon, the explosion of which is the result of fission (Atomic bomb) or nuclear fusion (Hydrogen bomb) and causes massive destruction in a large radius. The production of an atomic bomb requires the use of complex uranium enrichment technologies.

Much less difficult to make, the “dirty bomb” uses conventional explosives, and its main purpose is to directly contaminate an area and people through the ingestion or inhalation of radioactive materials.

“A dirty bomb is not a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ but a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ that is primarily intended to infect and frighten,” the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission sums up.

The main danger of a “dirty bomb” is the explosion, not the radiation. Only people very close to the blast site will be exposed to enough radiation to cause immediate serious illness.

However, radioactive dust and vapors can become airborne and pose a health hazard if the dust is inhaled or ingested in contaminated food or water.

Radioactive materials required for the manufacture of such an explosive device are used in hospitals, research institutions, industrial or military facilities.

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