The International Atomic Energy Agency is preparing to send inspectors to two Ukrainian sites in the coming days. The IAEA announced this on Monday in Vienna at the request of Kiev. “The International Atomic Energy Agency is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday regarding alleged activities at two nuclear sites in Ukraine,” the IAEA said in a statement.
The organization added that both sites have already been the subject of IAEA inspections and one was inspected a month ago. “The IAEA is preparing to visit the sites in the coming days,” it said. A short time later, diplomatic circles in New York announced Monday that Moscow would present its allegations that the Ukrainian government wanted to detonate a nuclear-contaminated bomb to the UN Security Council. A similar discussion about the most powerful UN body behind closed doors will take place Tuesday after a meeting on the conflict in Syria – probably in the early afternoon.
Russia fears use of ‘dirty bomb’
Russia has recently expressed concern over Ukraine’s possible use of a “dirty bomb”, an explosive containing radioactive material. Russian chief of staff Valeri Gerasimov discussed the matter with his British colleague Tony Radakin, Russian news agencies reported Monday without giving details.
A spokeswoman for the British government confirmed the conversation. Western nuclear powers France, Britain and the US had rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine planned to detonate a nuclear-contaminated bomb on its own territory. The “dirty bomb” claim is clearly false, according to a joint statement by the countries’ foreign ministers. “The world would see through any attempt to use this claim as a pretext for escalation.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia not to use its “false claim” about a nuclear-contaminated bomb as a pretext for further escalating the war against Ukraine.
Western powers see ‘no clues’
“We still see no preparations on the Russian side for the use of nuclear weapons, and nothing at this time regarding the possible use of a ‘dirty bomb’,” US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Monday evening. “We’ve seen in the past that Russians sometimes blame others for things they intended to do,” Kirby warned. However, there is currently no evidence that this is the case here. “But it’s a spectacle we’ve seen before.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also rejected the Russian claims on Monday evening. “The sense of defeat in Russia is getting stronger,” Zelenskyy said. The country once had political weight, but today it is becoming increasingly isolated internationally. Russia has not only thrown away its potential for the “madness” of a war against Ukraine and the entire free world. Zelenskyy said the country had to beg Iran for drones and make up “various nonsense” about Ukraine in order to get concessions from the West.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
