Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu connected Sunday had telephone calls with his French, British and Turkish counterparts successful which helium made unfounded claims that Ukraine mightiness beryllium preparing to usage a “dirty bomb,” according to Russian readouts of the conversations.
The conversations took spot aft Russian President Vladimir Putin precocious raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons successful the warfare helium launched against Ukraine. And aft Shoigu faced intensifying governmental unit implicit a bid of disorderly retreats successful Ukraine.
The calls came arsenic Russia continues a wide evacuation of civilians from occupied Kherson successful confederate Ukraine and defense analysts judge that the question of radical is mounting the country for Moscow to retreat its troops from a important portion of the region. But among EU diplomats, determination are fears that Moscow is lone mounting the country for things to get worse.
During the telephone with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, they discussed the concern successful Ukraine, “which is rapidly deteriorating,” according to the Russian readout of the call. And Shoigu conveyed “his concerns astir imaginable provocations by Ukraine with the usage of a ‘dirty bomb’,” the Russian ministry said without giving immoderate further detail.
The same content of the readout was provided connected the telephone with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
The Russian readout of the telephone with U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace talks lone astir the hazard of a “dirty bomb.” However, successful nary of the readouts does Moscow supply immoderate grounds for its claims.
The U.K. said that “Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was readying actions facilitated by Western countries, including the U.K., to escalate the struggle successful Ukraine,” according to a U.K. statement. “The Defense Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that specified allegations should not beryllium utilized arsenic a pretext for greater escalation,” it said.
No connection connected the telephone was instantly made disposable by the defence ministries of France and Turkey.
On Friday, Shoigu spoke with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the archetypal clip since May, and, according to a Pentagon readout, successful the call “Austin emphasized the value of maintaining lines of connection amid the ongoing warfare against Ukraine.”
Shoigu spoke with Austin again connected Sunday, according to the Russian defence ministry. In this case, the Russian readout says lone that “they discussed concern successful Ukraine.”
A soiled weaponry is a weaponry that combines accepted explosives, specified arsenic dynamite, with radioactive materials. For Dara Massicot, an expert astatine U.S. probe institution Rand Corporation, “this reads similar Russian mendacious emblem groundwork.”
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