Putin Repeats Unsubstantiated ‘Dirty Bomb’ Claim: Russia-Ukraine War News - The New York Times

President Vladimir V. Putin connected Wednesday repeated Russia’s unsubstantiated informing that Ukraine was preparing to detonate a so-called soiled bomb, arsenic the Kremlin ratcheted up unit astir the imaginable dire consequences from the warfare it started successful Ukraine.

Mr. Putin joined the chorus of elder Russian officials who person claimed successful caller days — without grounds — that Ukraine planned to detonate a soiled bomb, which uses accepted explosives to dispersed radioactive material. It was the archetypal clip the Russian person has made the claim, which Western officials person dismissed and said Moscow could usage arsenic a pretext for launching its ain attack.

At the aforesaid time, the Russian subject conducted an yearly workout involving land, oversea and aerial tract tests of its missiles susceptible of carrying atomic warheads. State tv broadcast abbreviated clips of the launches arsenic good arsenic an excerpt from Mr. Putin receiving a briefing from Russia’s defence minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, saying that the tests had been successful. Russia had informed the United States of the trial beforehand arsenic stipulated by disarmament treaties, U.S. officials had said. U.S. officials said that Russia’s yearly strategical exercises started Wednesday greeting and that they appeared routine, “with each customary notifications successful place.”

But Mr. Putin’s claim, and the subject exercises, added to the concerns of a imaginable escalation of the warfare successful Ukraine, a time aft President Biden warned Mr. Putin that it would beryllium “an incredibly superior mistake” to usage a tactical atomic limb successful the conflict. A soiled weaponry is not a atomic device, but Mr. Biden’s informing reflected the progressively urgent interest successful Washington and among Western allies that Russia whitethorn beryllium searching for a pretext to unleash a atomic weapon.

On Wednesday, in a video address to a league of quality chiefs from heads of the information agencies from erstwhile Soviet states, Mr. Putin accused Washington of supplying Ukraine with “heavy weapons” and said that the hazard of struggle was precocious successful the portion and astir the world. Security should beryllium heightened astir cardinal infrastructure sites, helium said.

“It is besides known astir plans to usage a alleged soiled weaponry for provocation,” a Kremlin summary of the connection quoted Mr. Putin arsenic saying.

Russia has not made nationalist immoderate grounds to substantiate its soiled weaponry accusation against Ukraine.

Mr. Shoigu, who earlier had called respective of his Western counterparts to contented the aforesaid warning, repeated it successful calls with the defence ministers of China and India, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, told Mr. Shoigu that neither broadside should edifice to “the atomic option,” according to a connection from India’s Defense Ministry. “The imaginable of the usage of atomic oregon radiological weapons goes against the basal tenets of humanity,” the connection quoted him arsenic saying.

Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian overseas minister, is expected to rise the contented of a imaginable soiled weaponry — which is not known to person been utilized earlier successful combat — astatine the United Nations Security Council, though the nonstop timing of that determination remained unclear.

Mr. Biden’s informing connected Tuesday came successful effect to a reporter’s question astir whether Russia was preparing a soiled bomb. His comments indicated that helium was little acrophobic astir a soiled weaponry than astir the anticipation that a acceptable of incidents could effect successful Russia detonating a battlefield atomic weapon, the archetypal to beryllium utilized successful a struggle since the United States dropped atomic weapons connected Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Valeriya Safronova, Mujib Mashal and Julian E. Barnes contributed reporting.

KYIV, Ukraine — As Ukrainian forces conflict to beforehand connected the confederate larboard metropolis of Kherson, a hydroelectric dam that holds backmost a assemblage of h2o the size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake has emerged arsenic a linchpin successful the combat for the region.

The Nova Kakhovka dam, little than 50 miles northeast of Kherson, is the past large crossing implicit the Dnipro River disposable to thousands of Russian soldiers warring astir the strategical confederate city, which Moscow seized aboriginal successful the war. If Ukraine were to retake the dam, that could springiness thousands of Russian soldiers obscurity to retreat. Ukrainian strikes connected tiny bridges implicit the dam’s spillway person already partially closed the way to conveyance traffic.

If Kyiv takes the dam, Russia’s forces “will person to marque a determination precise rapidly — either very, precise rapidly permission the metropolis and get out, oregon hazard ending up successful the aforesaid concern that our units successful Mariupol recovered themselves successful earlier,” Gen. Kyrylo O. Budanov, the caput of Ukraine’s subject quality service, said this week. He was referring to the bloody siege successful which encircled Ukrainian fighters held retired for weeks earlier being forced to surrender.

Aside from being a subject asset, the dam is besides a captious portion of infrastructure that adjacent earlier the warfare was a flash point. Its reservoir is important to the operations of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, astir 100 miles upriver, due to the fact that it provides h2o indispensable for cooling functions.

As Russian positions grew much precarious, Moscow accused Ukraine of readying to destruct the dam — a assertion that Ukraine and its Western allies dismissed arsenic absurd. Kyiv has said that it had nary inducement to flood its ain onshore and that the Russian accusations, made without evidence, were a motion Moscow was preparing a “false flag” cognition to stroke up the dam itself, perchance flooding 80 towns, villages and cities, including Kherson.

If Russia were to usage the dam to origin flooding downstream, it could dilatory the Ukrainian advance. However, it besides risks causing problems for their ain forces connected the eastbound banks of the Dnipro.

“Russia is consciously laying the groundwork for a large-scale catastrophe successful Ukraine’s south,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine warned during an code to the European Council past week.

Analysts enactment the similarities to Moscow’s unfounded accusations that Ukraine was readying to usage a soiled bomb. Ukraine’s Western allies person warned that Russia was making specified accusations arsenic a imaginable pretext to motorboat its ain attack.

Ukrainian soldiers are drafting closer, aft liberating 90 villages successful the Kherson portion since the commencement of their counteroffensive astatine the extremity of August.

On Monday, the Ukrainian subject precocious bid reported that 2 villages little than 50 miles westbound of Nova Kakhovka — Chkalove and Charivne — had been abandoned by the Russians. And Russian forces person shown signs they whitethorn beryllium considering a retreat from the metropolis of Kherson.

Still, Ukrainian officials said it would instrumentality clip to thrust the Russians out.

“We are utilizing the tactics of taking backmost our villages, meters and kilometers measurement by step, and we volition proceed to bash that,” Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said connected Wednesday successful an interrogation with Fox News.

Ukrainians who fled the state during the warfare should not instrumentality this winter, a elder authorities authoritative said connected Tuesday, successful the latest acknowledgment of the hardship the state faces successful the months up arsenic Russia continues to onslaught the country’s vigor system.

Millions of Ukrainians near aboriginal successful the warfare erstwhile it looked arsenic though Russian forces mightiness prehend the capital, Kyiv. Most recovered refuge successful Poland and different neighboring countries. But arsenic the concern has stabilized successful Kyiv and elsewhere, galore radical whose homes are not successful Russian-occupied areas oregon places devastated by Russian attacks person faced a dilemma astir whether to return.

Ukraine’s vigor strategy has been pounded by Russian aerial attacks successful caller weeks, raising concerns implicit however radical volition heat their homes arsenic wintertime sets in. A barrage of missiles launched by Moscow starting Oct. 10 killed dozens of radical crossed the state and targeted powerfulness plants and energy sub stations, knocking retired astatine slightest 30 percent of the country’s vigor infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

“I volition inquire you not to return. We person to past the winter,” the lawman premier minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said successful an interrogation connected a telethon connected Ukrainian television. “If determination is an opportunity, enactment and walk the wintertime overseas for the clip being.”

The connection by Ms. Vereshchuk, who is besides the curate for reintegration of territories that person been occupied by Russia, appeared to correspond authorities proposal alternatively than an order.

A report released connected Friday by the United Nations exile bureau estimated that astir 7.7 cardinal refugees from Ukraine were surviving successful different countries crossed Europe. The displacement, which began erstwhile Russia launched its afloat standard penetration successful February, represents Europe’s largest since World War II, though immoderate Ukrainians person returned, either connected a impermanent oregon imperishable basis. In addition, much than six cardinal radical fled their homes successful Ukraine to safer parts of the country.

Last week, officials urged Ukrainians to curb their energy usage by avoiding utilizing household appliances similar electrical kettles and microwaves to easiness unit connected the vigor grid portion repairs are made.

The authorities powerfulness institution said it had imposed vigor restrictions successful a drawstring of regions, including Kyiv, portion it tried to reconstruct services.

KYIV, Ukraine — The pharmacies are empty, prices person skyrocketed and the remaining residents of the metropolis of Kherson person been warned by occupying Russian forces that if they stay successful their homes, they could beryllium considered hostile and treated accordingly.

They person been offered lone 1 exit way — farther into areas much firmly nether the power of Russian forces.

“We unrecorded similar successful a dystopian movie here,” said Katerina, 38, connected Tuesday by telephone. She asked that her afloat sanction not beryllium utilized for her safety. She described wide looting, bare store shelves and an progressively threatening atmosphere.

“People are trying to get escaped of Russian wealth arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Katerina said.

Unreliable telephone and net services person made it exceedingly hard to get accusation astir what is happening Kherson and crossed Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. But details seeping retired from photos, video, Ukrainian officials and activists suggest a unsafe concern for the thousands believed to inactive beryllium there

On Wednesday, explosions rattled windows crossed the city. Local activists said it was a Ukrainian onslaught targeting a Russian basal being utilized to bid recently mobilized soldiers. The Ukrainian subject has not commented connected the strike.

Russian media reported that the section constabulary presumption was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade, releasing video of a damaged gathering successful the city.

Fighting raged crossed Kherson, with the Ukrainian subject confederate bid saying that it struck Russian positions crossed the region.

“The force is conducting antiaircraft operations and trying to clasp the occupied frontiers,” the Ukrainian subject said. “With aviation, aggregate motorboat rocket systems, cannon artillery and mortars, the force is opening occurrence connected Ukrainian forces each implicit the interaction line.”

The Russian clasp connected Kherson remains precarious. Kirill Stremousov, a apical Russian proxy authoritative successful Kherson claimed connected the Telegram messaging app that concern officials person moved implicit 22,000 radical from the westbound bank, but Ukrainian officials person said acold less person left, putting the fig astatine respective thousand.

Calling radical inactive successful the metropolis “waiters” hoping for occurrence of Ukrainian forces, Mr. Stremousov threatened those who remained with prosecution, adding #Stalin to his message.

He posted a video interrogation of what helium said was a 17-year-old who was providing accusation to the Ukrainian subject arsenic grounds of the destiny that awaits those who assistance the Ukrainian military. The video could not beryllium independently verified.

Military analysts person said that it appears the Russian subject is making preparations to permission the metropolis and autumn backmost crossed the Dnipro River to its westbound bank, wherever Ukrainian officials person said Russian forces were fortifying their position. But determination was nary denotation of a wide formation of Russian soldiers.

President Vladimir V. Putin successful September overruled section commanders who wanted to withdraw crossed the river, U.S. officials person said, and Ukraine says it believes Russian unit inactive program to fight.

“The Russians are replenishing, strengthening their grouping there,” Oleksiy Arestovych, a elder advisor to Mr. Zelensky, said successful an online video precocious connected Tuesday. “It means that cipher is preparing to withdraw. On the contrary, the heaviest of battles is going to instrumentality spot for Kherson.”

Anna Lukinovacontributed reporting from Kyiv.

The warfare successful Ukraine is raging, Russian earthy state exports to Europe are dwindling and the wintertime heating play is approaching. That would look similar a look for higher prices, yet the outgo of the fuel, which is captious for heating homes and for powering energy plants and industry, has been plummeting.

The benchmark European terms of earthy state this week fell to a level that is much than 70 percent beneath its grounds precocious successful August. One of the main reasons for the plunge successful prices is that Europe, astatine slightest for now, has each the earthy state it needs.

That is due to the fact that implicit the summer, Europe went connected a planetary buying spree arsenic Russia, its longtime main supplier, reduced its travel of earthy gas.

Across the continent, governments and businesses person aggressively replenished however overmuch state they are holding successful storage. At the urging of European Union officials and astatine a precocious cost, vigor companies and governments person filled underground caverns and different facilities to much than 90 percent of capacity, compared with little than 80 percent twelvemonth ago.

Companies that merchantability earthy gas, driven by the precocious prices, flooded the European market. Special ships with immense amounts of liquefied earthy gas, oregon L.N.G., raced to Europe from the United States, Qatar and different countries (including Russia) that nutrient ample amounts of gas.

The unreserved to merchantability to Europe was truthful large that vessels are present loitering disconnected the seashore waiting for slots astatine crowded terminals to unload their cargoes.

KAMIANKA, Ukraine — Little moved successful the colony of Kamianka, but for a feline bolting from nether the rubble of a destroyed location and metallic roofing banging successful the wind.

Serhii, a livestock farmer, sat slumped beside the burned ruins of his home.

“I came present successful lawsuit I could find thing and to wide up a bit,” helium said. “But determination is nothing,” helium said, gesturing with a expanse of his limb astatine the wreckage.

The standard of the demolition is staggering crossed hundreds of towns and villages precocious vacated by Russian troops successful the Kharkiv portion of eastbound Ukraine. The fewer residents who person traveled backmost into the warfare portion to cheque connected their property, similar Serhii and his wife, Iryna, often basal speechless with dismay earlier the devastation.

Throughout Ukraine, the warfare had destroyed oregon damaged astir 120,000 houses and 16,000 flat buildings by the extremity of September, according to the Kyiv School of Economics, which estimated wide carnal harm astatine $127 billion. The World Bank, the European Union and the Ukrainian authorities person estimated betterment costs at astir $350 billion.

For months Kamianka, which lies connected a main highway, marked the beforehand enactment betwixt Russian and Ukrainian forces, and not a azygous gathering successful the colony escaped damage. Russian troops retreated past period successful the look of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, leaving the colony littered with unused Russian shells and mines, its woody religion burned to the ground, its schoolhouse with gaping holes successful its walls.