The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit two Ukrainian targets “this week” at Kyiv’s request, a statement said, while Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of erasing evidence of “dirty bomb” preparations, AFP reported. and Agerpress.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)Photo: Genya Savilov / AFP / Profimedia Images

“The inspectors will carry out an independent review (…) to detect any diversion of nuclear material,” the UN agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, explained on Thursday. On Friday, he will speak at a closed session of the UN Security Council in New York.

The IAEA earlier this week announced an inspection “in the coming days,” without giving further details.

On Thursday, the agency confirmed that it had inspected one of the two sites “a month ago,” stressing that “no undeclared nuclear activity was detected there.”

Earlier, Vladimir Putin requested the mission “as soon as possible”. According to him, Ukraine intends to use radioactive weapons “so that later it can be said that it was Russia that launched a nuclear strike.”

A radiological bomb or “dirty bomb” consists of conventional explosives surrounded by radioactive materials designed to disperse into dust when detonated.

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