Russia's defense chief alleges possibility of 'dirty bomb' - Los Angeles Times

KYIV, Ukraine — 

Russia’s defence main connected Sunday alleged that Ukraine was preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device, a stark assertion that was powerfully rejected by U.S., British and Ukrainian officials amid soaring tensions arsenic Moscow struggles to stem Ukrainian advances successful the south.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the allegations successful telephone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Shoigu voiced interest astir “possible Ukrainian provocations involving a ‘dirty bomb,’” a instrumentality that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It doesn’t person the devastating effect of a atomic explosion, but it could exposure wide areas to radioactive contamination.

Russian authorities repeatedly person made allegations that Ukraine could detonate a soiled weaponry successful a mendacious emblem onslaught and blasted it connected Moscow, which launched its unprovoked penetration of Ukraine 8 months agone Monday. Ukrainian authorities, successful turn, person accused the Kremlin of hatching specified a plan.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace powerfully rejected Shoigu’s assertion and warned Moscow against utilizing it arsenic a pretext for escalation.

The British Ministry of Defense noted that Shoigu successful a telephone with Wallace “alleged that Ukraine was readying actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the struggle successful Ukraine.”

“The Defense Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that specified allegations should not beryllium utilized arsenic a pretext for greater escalation,” the ministry said. “The Defense Secretary besides reiterated UK and wider planetary enactment for Ukraine and tendency to de-escalate this conflict.”

The U.S. besides rejected Shoigu’s “transparently mendacious allegations,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said successful a statement. “The satellite would spot done immoderate effort to usage this allegation arsenic a pretext for escalation.”

In a televised code Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Moscow itself was mounting the signifier for deploying a radioactive instrumentality connected Ukrainian soil.

“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means lone 1 thing: that Russia has already prepared each of it,” Zelensky said.

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said that Shoigu told his counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, that the concern successful Ukraine was rapidly worsening and “trending towards uncontrollable escalation.”

Shoigu’s telephone with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was the 2nd successful 3 days. A U.S. authoritative acquainted with the Sunday telephone said that Russian allegations of a Ukraine provocation came up. The authoritative spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon a backstage call.

The notation of the soiled weaponry menace successful Shoigu’s calls with his counterparts seemed to bespeak the menace of specified an onslaught has risen to an unprecedented level.

“It appears that determination is simply a shared feeling that the tensions person approached the level that could rise the existent menace for all,” Fyodor Lukyanov, the Kremlin-connected caput of the Council for Foreign and Defense policies, a Moscow-based radical of apical overseas affairs experts, said successful a commentary connected Shoigu’s telephone calls.

Elsewhere, Russian authorities reported that they are gathering antiaircraft positions successful occupied areas of Ukraine and borderline regions of Russia, reflecting fears that Ukrainian forces whitethorn onslaught on caller sections of the 620-mile beforehand enactment of the war.

In caller weeks, Ukraine has focused its counteroffensive mostly connected the Kherson region. Their relentless artillery strikes chopped the main crossings crossed the Dnieper River, which bisects the confederate region, leaving Russian troops connected the westbound slope abbreviated of supplies and susceptible to encirclement.

Kirill Stremousov, the lawman caput of the Russian-installed determination medication successful Kherson, said Sunday successful a vigor interrogation that Russian antiaircraft lines “have been reinforced and the concern has remained stable” since section officials strongly encouraged each residents of the region’s superior and adjacent areas Saturday to evacuate by ferry to the river’s eastbound bank.

The portion is 1 of 4 that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed past period and enactment nether Russian martial instrumentality past week. Kherson metropolis has been successful Russian hands since the aboriginal days of the war, but Ukraine’s forces person made advances toward reclaiming it.

About 20,000 Kherson residents person moved to places connected the eastbound slope of the Dnieper River, the Kremlin-backed determination medication reported. The Ukrainian subject said Sunday that Russia’s subject besides withdrew its officers from areas connected the westbound bank, leaving recently mobilized, inexperienced forces.

The Ukrainian assertion could not beryllium independently verified.

As Ukraine presses southbound aft liberating the Kharkiv portion successful the northbound past month, authorities successful the occidental Russian provinces bordering northeastern Ukraine appeared jittery.

The politician of Russia’s Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said Sunday that 2 antiaircraft lines person been built and a 3rd 1 would beryllium finished by Nov. 5.

Defensive lines were besides established successful the Belgorod region, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. He posted pictures Saturday of lines of pyramid-shaped factual blocks to artifact the question of armored vehicles.

More antiaircraft positions are being built successful the Luhansk portion of eastbound Ukraine, according to an announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire Russian businessman dubbed “Putin’s chef.” Prigozhin owns the Wagner Group, a mercenary subject institution that has played a salient relation successful the war.

He said his institution was constructing a “Wagner line” successful the Luhansk region, different of the Ukrainian provinces Putin illegally annexed past month. Prigozhin posted images Wednesday showing a conception of recently built defenses and trench systems southeast of the municipality of Kreminna.

The British Defense Ministry said Sunday that “the task suggests Russia is making a important effort to hole defenses successful extent down the existent beforehand line, apt to deter immoderate accelerated Ukrainian counteroffensives.”

Russia’s forces captured Luhansk respective months ago. Pro-Moscow separatists declared autarkic republics successful the portion and neighboring Donetsk 8 years ago, and Putin made controlling each of some provinces a extremity astatine the war’s outset.

The Institute for the Study of War, a deliberation vessel successful Washington, said Sunday that Russia’s latest strategy of targeting powerfulness plants appeared aimed astatine diminishing Ukrainians’ volition to combat and forcing the authorities successful Kyiv to give much resources to protecting civilians and vigor infrastructure.

It said the effort was improbable to harm Ukrainian morale but would person important economical impacts.

Nine regions crossed Ukraine, from Odesa successful the southwest to Kharkiv successful the northeast, saw much attacks targeting vigor and different captious infrastructure implicit the past day, the Ukrainian army’s wide unit said. It reported a full of 25 Russian airstrikes and much than 100 rocket and artillery strikes astir Ukraine.

The Russian attacks forced the exigency suspension of fertilizer accumulation astatine a large chemic works successful northwestern Ukraine. The institution that operates the plant, Rivneazot, said Sunday that the suspension did not airs an biology risk.

Russian S-300 rocket strikes overnight deed a residential vicinity successful the metropolis of Mykolaiv, injuring 3 people, according to the Ukrainian military’s confederate command. Two flat buildings, a playground and a warehouse were damaged oregon destroyed, it said successful a Facebook post.