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.

“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.

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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