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Ukraine’s Western allies accused Russia Monday of plotting to use a threat of a “dirty bomb” as an excuse to escalate the war ahead of a looming battle for Kherson.
With Ukrainian forces advancing into the Russian-occupied province in the south, top Kremlin officials called their counterparts in the West Sunday and Monday to tell them Moscow suspected Kyiv of planning to detonate a bomb laced with nuclear material.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the US, Britain and France said they had all rejected the allegations and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in the conflict “for as long as it takes.”
“Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory,” they said. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price warned this afternoon that there would be “consequences” for Russia whether it uses a so-called “dirty bomb” or a conventional nuclear weapon.
