The Slovenian government responded Wednesday with a denial to a “misleading” tweet from the Russian Foreign Ministry, debunking it as fake news. In it, allegations that Ukraine was planning to use a “dirty bomb” were “substantiated” by alleged photographic evidence. One of the photos came from Slovenia.
“In Slovenia, radioactive waste is stored safely and under supervision. They will not be used to make dirty bombs,” the government quoted the director of the tweet as saying (see below). Slovenian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARAO).
Photo used from information material
One of the photos used in the tweet to refer to Ukraine’s capabilities to create the “dirty bomb” is from the Slovenian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARAO). The image dates from 2010 and has been used in specialist lectures and educational materials. “The photo was published without ARAO’s knowledge,” the Slovenian government said.
The photo shows items packed in plastic bags with the symbol for radioactivity and the inscription “radioaktivno”, which means radioactive in Slovenian. According to the statement from Ljubljana, these are smoke detectors that are commonly used.
“They do contain a radioactive source, but none of the sources listed in the table below the photo,” the Slovenian government said. So-called ionization smoke detectors (in short: I detectors) contain weakly radioactive substances and must therefore be disposed of as nuclear waste.
West: “Clear, False Claims”
Washington, Paris and London dismissed the allegations as “transparently false claims” by Moscow in a joint statement. “Reminder: Ukraine has no nuclear weapons,” the UK UN mission tweeted ahead of the Security Council meeting.
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.
