DISINFO: 2 Ukrainian firms ordered to make dirty bomb, work near completion
SUMMARY
Two Ukrainian firms have been ordered to produce a dirty bomb and the work is nearing completion. The Kiev regime has sufficient research and production potential to make a dirty bomb, including three active nuclear power plants and large amounts of spent nuclear fuel.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine of posing a nuclear threat to Russia and trying to justify a possible Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
This is not the first time the Kremlin’s manipulation and disinformation machine has used a deep-seated and very reasonable fear of a nuclear disaster to advance its political and military goals in Ukraine.
There is no evidence to back the claim that Ukraine is preparing a nuclear provocation or a use of the weapons of mass distruction. Ukraine has been a nuclear-free country since 1994 when the Budapest memorandum was signed.
In 1998, Ukraine signed an Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and in 2006 a Protocol Additional to the Agreement which provides for strict control not only over the nuclear material present on the territory of the country, but for any nuclear research.
On October 23, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu phoned the defense ministers of four NATO countries: France, Turkey, Great Britain and the US. Shoigu said that Ukraine was allegedly preparing a "provocation" with the explosion of a "dirty bomb" on its territory. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not provide any evidence of this.
Western leaders reject Russia's 'dirty bomb' claim and warned that such allegations can be used as a pretext for greater escalation.
Ukraine asked the IAEA to "immediately send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine, which the Russian Federation falsely describes as sites for the development of a 'dirty bomb'."
Оn the contrary, the West has real concerns’ Russia could use nuclear weapons. It is Russia who is making irresponsible hints and statements about the possibility of using nuclear arms in its war against Ukraine. For several years now the Russian infosphere has seen nuclear threats being made against the west by figures like Dmitry Kiselyov or Vladimir Zhirinovsky are famous for this. Other Russian officials to make such statements are Dmitry Medvedev, Ramzan Kadyrov, Margarita Simonyan or even Vladimir Putin who specified that “it was not a bluff”.
See more disinformation cases: London is helping Kyiv turn the country into a nuclear wasteland; Washington and the Kyiv regime's actions pose a threat of nuclear catastrophe; Russia does not threaten anyone with nuclear weapons; Ukraine was close to turning Russian cities into Chernobyl.