Shoigu calls his counterparts in the west to accuse Ukraine of false flag attack

Russia alleges, offering no proof, that Ukraine is planning to use a ‘dirty bomb’

On October 23, Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu placed calls to the defense ministers of several western countries, informing them that Ukraine was preparing a “possible false flag with the use of a ‘dirty bomb.’” Shortly before Shoigu’s conversations, RIA Novosti published reports that Ukraine was planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” on its own territory in order to launch a global anti-Russia campaign. Ukrainian officials have called the allegations absurd and dangerous. Shoigu’s western counterparts reportedly urged him not to escalate the situation in Ukraine further.

Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu called his counterparts in several western countries: France, Turkey, the UK, and the US. With each of them, Shoigu discussed the “situation” in Ukraine, which, he said, “shows a steady tendency toward further, uncontrolled escalation.”

During conversations with representatives from France, Turkey, and the UK, according to the Russian defense ministry, Shoigu expressed his “concern about possible false flag attack from the Ukrainian side with the use of a ‘dirty bomb.’” The Russian Ministry of Defense presented no evidence to support this claim. It’s unclear from the ministry’s reports whether Shoigu raised the issue of a “dirty bomb” during his discussion with the Pentagon.

Shortly before Shoigu’s conversations, RIA Novosti reported that “the Kyiv regime is preparing a false flag attack with ‘a dirty bomb’” in Ukraine. The Russian state agency cited “credible sources in various countries,” including Ukraine. The agency claims that the purpose of the alleged false flag attack is to blame Russia for using a weapon of mass destruction, “thereby launching a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the world, aimed at undermining confidence in Moscow.” RIA Novosti’s report suggests that Ukraine is building a “dirty bomb,” and that Kyiv has been in contact with the UK “regarding the possibility of transferring the components of nuclear weapons to authorities in Kyiv.” Other, independent sources do not confirm this information.

British defense secretary Ben Wallace urged Shoigu not to use such statements as a pretext for further escalation. The British Ministry of Defense also posted a statement to the same effect on Twitter. The statement noted that “both Ministers were respectful and professional on the call.”

The Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar told Shoigu that Ankara was ready to help restore stability in the region. “Both parties noted the need for foresight in the face of possible false flag attack which could further aggravate the situation in the region,” wrote the Anadolu news agency, citing the Turkish defense ministry.

Ukrainian authorities called reports of a “dirty bomb” a lie. “Russia’s lies about Ukraine’s alleged plans to use a ‘dirty bomb’ are as absurd as they are dangerous,” said Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba. He noted that Ukraine supports the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. “We have no ‘dirty bomb’ and we don’t plan to get one….Russians often blame others for things they plan to do themselves,” said Kuleba.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, commenting on Shoygu’s statements, told Ukrainian publication Liga.net that they were “the absolute and completely predictable absurdity of the actions of a person who continues to believe that it’s possible to lie blatantly and have anyone believe it.” Podolyak also wrote on Twitter that “there’s no ‘dirty bomb,’ there are only dirty attempts to justify Russia’s obvious genocide with a new fake.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that only Russia would use a “dirty bomb” in Ukraine. In a video address on October 23 he said:

Wherever Russia goes it leaves behind mass graves, torture chambers, ruined towns and cities, mined earth, wrecked infrastructure, and natural disasters. And if there’s anyone who could use nuclear weapons on our part of Europe, it’s only one person – and that person just ordered his comrade Shoigu to make some phone calls.

I think the world should react maximally harshly now. If Russia is preparing to raise the stakes, to take another escalating step, it should see right now, before it spreads any new “dirt,” that the world won’t swallow it.

This is not the first accusation Russia has made against Ukraine in recent days. On October 18, Sergey Surovikin, commander of the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine, announced that Ukraine was allegedly planning wide-scale missile strikes on the dam at the Kakhovka Hydropower Station in the annexed part of the Kherson region. American think tank the Institute for the Study of War said that, in fact, Russia is preparing to damage the Kakhovka dam and blame the incident on Ukraine. Zelensky later announced that, according to Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military had mined the dam at the Kakhovka Hydropower Station.

Translated by Emily Laskin