With the attack on Ukraine, Russia put itself on the sidelines internationally. To further discredit Moscow, Ukraine is said to be planning to use a radioactive bomb on its own soil. Defense Minister Shoigu, who was hapless at the front, launched these allegations.
In a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Kyiv was planning to detonate a radioactive bomb to discredit Moscow. Shoigu has "conveyed his concern about possible provocations of Ukraine with the help of a 'dirty bomb'," the Russian Defense Ministry said. Conventional explosive devices that also scatter radioactive material are referred to as "dirty bombs". For its part, Ukraine, which gave up its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union, accuses Russia of planning to drop such a bomb.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the situation in Ukraine is becoming more and more critical in the direction of an "uncontrolled escalation". Russia's state-run news agency Ria Novosti claimed that Kyiv has virtually completed the completion of a small tactical nuclear bomb and is ready to detonate it on its own soil "to launch a strong anti-Russian campaign designed to undermine trust in Moscow".
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine hasn't gone as planned by Moscow for months. The advance initially faltered, and in the meantime the Russian units have even gotten partially on the defensive. Against this background, speculation about a possible Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons against the neighboring country is increasing. Moscow denies any such intentions.
For days, Ukraine has feared a Russian attack on the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the south of the country. Accordingly, Russia has already mined the dam to stop a Ukrainian counter-offensive in Cherson with a tidal wave. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a "disaster on a large scale". In the event of a dam bursting, hundreds of thousands of people on the Dnipro River would be in danger. The cooling system of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could also be affected by an interrupted water supply.
The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is located on the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, which is currently controlled by Russian troops and annexed by Moscow. According to its own statements, Ukraine is making progress with its counter-offensive in the southern region and recently reported the recapture of 88 towns and villages.
