Russia claims Ukraine is making preparations to deploy a chemical or biological weapon. An increase in military action is a major concern for Westerners.
A justification for a more severe attack. On Sunday, October 23, during phone calls with NATO members, Moscow accused Ukraine of planning to deploy a "dirty bomb," claims that were denied by Kiev and the West for fear of providing a pretext for an escalation.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had phone conversations with his American, French, British, and Turkish counterparts over the war in Ukraine.
According to his ministry, Sergei Shoigu informed the vast majority of his interlocutors of the upcoming Russian offensive during these unprecedentedly intense exchanges in a single day "His worries centered on the prospect of a "dirty bomb," or a conventional bomb encased in radioactive materials, being used in a provocation by the Ukrainian government.
Paris, London, and Washington agreed on Monday that "no one would be misled" if Moscow exacerbated the situation in Ukraine by claiming Kiev used a "dirty bomb."
Russian claims that Ukraine plans to deploy a dirty bomb on its own soil have been debunked by the three foreign ministers in a joint statement. It would be futile to try to use this charge as an excuse to escalate the situation, since everyone would see through it.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba responded on social media early Sunday evening, writing, "Russian fabrications about Ukraine planning to launch a 'dirty bomb' are as ludicrous as they are dangerous."
Russia's claim that Ukraine is getting ready for something can imply only one thing: Russia is getting ready for something. Similarly, he criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying, "I think that now the world must respond as brutally as possible."
If Russia is planning "a new stage in the escalation," it has to know that the world won't allow it "now, preventively and before one of its new 'dirts,'" he said.
The White House has responded by saying the United States does not believe "the clearly false allegations of Minister Shoigu, according to which Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory." "Any attempt to use this allegation as an excuse to escalate would be seen through by the international community.
According to a press statement from the French Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu had expressed concern that the Ukrainians would launch a "dirty bomb attack on their soil, to accuse Russia." A reminder from French Minister Sébastien Lecornu that "France (refused) any kind of escalation, notably nuclear" was given.
In the interview, Ben Wallace, his British colleague, "refuted" Moscow's assertions that the West was helping to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
On Sunday, the Russian minister called the chief of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin; it was their third contact since the crisis began.