According to Russian readouts of the conversations, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made baseless assertions that Ukraine might be planning to launch a “dirty bomb” in phone calls with his French, British, and Turkish counterparts on Sunday.
The discussions happened after Russian President Vladimir Putin recently mentioned the possibility of utilizing nuclear weapons in his campaign against Ukraine. Additionally, Shoigu came under increasing political pressure as a result of a series of erratic withdrawals in Ukraine.
Defense analysts say that the enormous exodus of civilians from Russia’s occupation of Kherson in southern Ukraine is paving the way for Moscow to withdraw its forces from a sizable portion of the area as a result of the appeals. However, there are worries among EU diplomats that Moscow is merely creating the conditions for things to go worse.
The situation in Ukraine, which “is rapidly deteriorating,” was reviewed on the call with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, according to the Russian readout of the conversation. Additionally, Shoigu expressed “his fears about potential Ukrainian provocations using a ‘dirty bomb,'” the Russian ministry said without providing any other information.
