West rejects Russian claims of alleged Ukrainian "dirty bomb" attack

The US, UK and France have jointly rejected the latest Russian accusations against Ukraine. According to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Kiev is planning an attack with a "dirty bomb", a conventional weapon that harbours radioactive material and is therefore capable of contaminating several areas. Shoigu made the remarks in a round of telephone conversations with several Western counterparts over the weekend. The Russian military official also alluded to "possible provocations" by the Ukrainian government.

However, Washington, London and Paris have made it "clear" that they reject these "transparently false" accusations and any "pretext" that could lead to military escalation by Moscow. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s, so there is no evidence that it harbours nuclear weapons.

Ben Wallace, Britain's Defence Minister, stressed that Shoigu's claims should not be used "as a pretext for further escalation". In the statement, Wallace also said that his Russian counterpart had indicated that the actions being planned by Kiev had been "facilitated" by Western countries. 

Mason Clark, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), says it is "unlikely" that the Kremlin is preparing an imminent "false flag dirty bomb" attack. Clark also rules out "Russian preparations to use non-strategic nuclear weapons in Ukraine". As the expert suggests, Shoigu's statements are aimed at "putting pressure on Ukraine and intimidating NATO".

Ukrainian Defence Minister Dmytro Kuleba, for his part, called his Russian counterpart's statements "absurd and dangerous", stressing that Russians often "accuse others of what they themselves are planning". Kuleba also recalled that Ukraine is a "committed" member of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and does not have any dirty bombs and does not plan to acquire any.

President Volodimir Zelensky agrees, warning that Moscow's accusations mean that "Russia has already prepared something". The Ukrainian leader therefore calls on the world to "react as harshly as possible". 

In addition to warning about this alleged attack, Shoigu also pointed out to his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, that the situation in Ukraine "is rapidly deteriorating" and heading towards "further uncontrolled escalation". Despite these serious statements, French President Emmanuel Macron has been optimistic about the conflict, and has raised the prospect of peace.

"There is the prospect of peace, it will come at some point," Macron said during a conference in Rome.  For the French president, it is up to Ukraine to "decide the moment and the terms of peace" with Moscow. "Remaining neutral would mean accepting the world order of the strongest, and I don't agree with that," Macron added, according to AP.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure continue. According to the authorities in Kiev, almost 1.5 million homes were without electricity due to the ongoing shelling on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is maintaining a military counteroffensive near the Russian-annexed region of Kherson, where Moscow has begun evacuating the population. As The Kyiv Independent reports, the Russian authorities in Kherson plan to cut off internet, telephone and media access in order to impose an 'information blockade' and 'isolate' the city during Kiev's counteroffensive.   

Also, according to the Ukrainian General Staff quoted by ISW, Russian officers and medics have been evacuated from Beryslav, a town northeast of Kherson. "Only 2,000 newly mobilised and inexperienced soldiers were left behind to hold the front line and delay the Ukrainian advance while the Russians completed their withdrawal," it explains. For this reason, the ISW stresses that the "poorly trained" Russian reservists are "unlikely" to be able to resist the Ukrainian offensive.

Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.