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Russia accuses Ukraine of planning to use so-called dirty bombs; This claim was dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as a false flag operation that Moscow could use as an excuse to escalate its war against the Kremlin’s neighbor.
A dirty bomb is a weapon that combines conventional explosives such as dynamite and radioactive materials such as uranium. It is often referred to as a weapon for terrorists, not countries, as it is designed to spread fear and panic rather than destroy any military targets.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly denied Moscow’s accusations, and Kiev’s foreign minister has invited UN investigators to visit Ukraine to show they “have nothing to hide”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Moscow claims, without providing any proof, that there are scientific institutions in Ukraine that house the technology needed to create a dirty bomb and accuses Kiev of planning to use it.
The Russian Defense Ministry said at a briefing on October 24 that it had information indicating that Kiev was planning a provocation regarding the detonation of a dirty bomb.
“The purpose of this provocation is to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction in the Ukrainian theater of operations, thereby launching a strong anti-Russian campaign aimed at undermining the trust in Moscow in the world,” said Igor Kirillov, Head of Radiation of Russia. , Chemical and Biological Conservation Forces.
According to a US official familiar with the conversation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the claim in a phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on October 23.
Shoigu made similar comments to his French and British counterparts.
According to Reuters, Russia plans to raise its accusations against Ukraine at the UN Security Council on October 25.
Russia’s allegations were vehemently denied by Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO, accusing Moscow of trying to launch its own fake operation.
“Everyone understands everything well, understands who is the source of every imaginable filth in this war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly speech on October 23.
The White House said on October 24 that it had “monitored as best it could” possible preparations for the use of dirty bombs in Ukraine, but saw no signs that such a weapon would be used any time soon.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog said on October 24 it would send inspectors to visit two nuclear facilities in Ukraine after receiving a request from officials in Kiev.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was “aware of the statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about the alleged activities at two nuclear facilities in Ukraine,” according to a press release on the agency’s website.
The IAEA did not provide the location of the two sites.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet on October 24: “Unlike Russia, Ukraine has always been and remains transparent. We have nothing to hide.”
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The detonation of a dirty bomb is produced by conventional explosives. The explosion caused by a nuclear weapon, the USA’s World War II. It is produced by a nuclear reaction, like the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II.
According to a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fact sheet, “A nuclear bomb creates an explosion thousands to millions of times more powerful than any conventional explosive that can be used in a dirty bomb.”
The explosion of a nuclear weapon could destroy entire cities. For example, according to ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945 destroyed 2.6 square miles (6.2 square kilometers) of the city. Conventional explosives in a dirty bomb can only level or damage a few buildings.
The DHS, meanwhile, says the mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion could cover tens to hundreds of square miles, emitting fine particles of nuclear material — radioactive fallout — into that area.
According to DHS, most of the radioactive material from a dirty bomb would spread over several city blocks or several square miles.
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According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Chechen rebels planted a bomb in a Moscow park in 1995 but failed to detonate it.
There are reports of terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda or ISIS building or trying to build a dirty bomb, but none have been detonated.
The DHS says it’s unlikely that a dirty bomb would emit a high enough dose of radiation “to cause immediate health effects or death in large numbers of people.”
The Texas State Department of Health Services explains why.
To make a dirty bomb that can deliver lethal doses of radiation, he says, a large amount of shielding from lead or steel would be needed to prevent the material from killing its makers during construction.
But using such shielding materials will make the bomb cumbersome and difficult to move or deploy, possibly requiring heavy equipment and remote transport, and limiting how much radiation can be emitted, according to the Texas state agency.
According to Texas health services, the radiation produced by a dirty bomb would result in exposure at levels similar to the amount received during a dental X-ray.
“It’s like breaking a rock. If someone throws a big stone at you, it’s probably going to hurt and it could hurt you physically,” he explains. ”
The severity of radiation sickness is affected by exposure over time, according to the DHS. Preventive measures can be as simple as walking away.
“Even walking a short distance from the scene (where the explosion occurred) can provide significant protection, as the dose rate drops significantly as you move away from the source,” DHS says.
DHS says people should also cover their noses and mouths to avoid any radiation, go indoors to escape clouds of dust, place their clothing in a plastic bag, and then gently wash their skin to remove any contaminants.
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