Russia's defense chief warns of 'dirty bomb' provocation - theday.com

Ukrainian soldiers occurrence astatine Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer successful Ukraine's eastbound Donetsk portion Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/LIBKOS)

People locomotion connected the rubble aft a Russian rocket deed a adjacent artifact of apartments successful Mykolaiv, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defence main alleged Sunday 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.

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

Russia's defence 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 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. 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 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 Zelenskyy 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," Zelenskyy said.

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

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

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

The rising tensions travel arsenic Russian authorities reported 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, which enters its ninth period connected Monday.

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 powerfully 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 connected Thursday. 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.

More antiaircraft positions were being built successful the Luhansk portion of eastbound Ukraine, said Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire Russian businessman who owns the Wagner Group, a mercenary subject institution that has played a salient relation successful the war.

Prigozhin 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 past week showing a conception of recently built defenses and trench systems southeast of the municipality of Kreminna.

The British Defense Ministry said Sunday “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.

Zelenskyy said Sunday that utilities workers were good connected their mode to restoring energy supplies chopped disconnected by large-scale Russian rocket strikes Saturday, but acknowledged that it would instrumentality longer to supply heating.

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.

In response, Zelenskyy appealed to mayors and different section leaders to guarantee that Ukrainians heed authoritative calls to conserve energy. “Now is decidedly not the clip for agleam storefronts and signs,” helium said.

Aamer Madhani and Lolita Baldor successful Washington and Joanna Kozlowska successful London contributed to this report.