The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of planning a “dirty bomb” attack in Russia, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported with reference to Reuters.

The FSB said it uncovered an alleged “dirty bomb” plot during its investigation into a foiled Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian airfield northeast of Moscow, The Moscow Times reports.

The agency reported that it had received information that Ukrainian military intelligence had created a special unit that, with the help of light aircraft, supplies sabotage groups on the territory of Russia “and bombards energy and fuel infrastructure facilities.”

The alleged special forces have carried out five attacks on Russian energy facilities near the border with Ukraine since the beginning of 2023, the FSB added.

“The delivery and deployment of so-called dirty bombs equipped with delay timers for simultaneous detonation and detonation of uninhabitable areas was planned,” the FSB said.

It was not possible to independently verify the FSB’s accusations, and Kyiv did not comment on these statements.

Russia’s Federal Security Service has made arrests in connection with an alleged Ukrainian plan to launch “dirty bombs” at Russian energy facilities, state media reported on Tuesday.

The FSB claims to have detained two “pilots” of unknown nationality who “confessed to having committed and prepared terrorist acts,” reports the state news agency TASS.

What is a “dirty bomb”

Accusations of “dirty bomb” attacks planned by Kiev were also made by Russia last year, when Moscow’s forces quickly retreated into northeastern and southern Ukraine.

A “dirty bomb” is not a nuclear bomb, but a conventional bomb with radioactive materials that are dispersed as dust when detonated.

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 over a wide range. 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.

What makes a “dirty bomb”

“A dirty bomb is not a ‘weapon of mass destruction’, but a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ that is primarily intended to infect and scare,” 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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