UN nuclear agency technicians will on-site check whether Kiev is diverting nuclear material to make dirty bomb, as Kremlin denounces
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear agency, has confirmed it will send a team to Ukraine to check whether, as Moscow claims, the Kiev government is building a dirty bomb, the radiological weapon the military could increase escalation and turn the war into a nuclear conflict. The goal is to conduct an “independent investigation” at two sites to verify the diversion of nuclear material that could be used to manufacture the terrifying device.
The agency’s director-general, Rafael Grossi, explained after a closed-door meeting with members of the UN Security Council that IAEA technicians will travel to two locations that will be monitored regularly. One of them was also inspected a month ago, but nothing was found. “No undeclared nuclear activities or materials were found there,” Grossi said.
The IAEA’s move comes after a week of crossed accusations between Kiev and Moscow over the dirty bomb. It is a nuclear device whose purpose is not to cause the catastrophe of an atomic explosion, but a more contained destruction through the dispersion of radioactive material. First, it was the Kremlin that accused Ukraine of preparing it. Kiev quickly denied the claim, accusing Moscow of preparing the ground for a false flag attack that warrants a nuclear escalation.
In a context where propaganda plays an important role in the war and where it is very difficult to distinguish who is lying and who is telling the truth, both sides have requested an inspection of the United Nations nuclear agency. Putin himself did it in a speech on Thursday, but so did Zelensky. The IAEA said in a statement that it is going into the field in response to the Ukrainian request.
The European Union, through the Foreign Affairs spokesman, denounced what they consider to be yet another maneuver by the Kremlin. Nabila Massrali recalled that Russian authorities have previously accused others “of their own actions”, seeking a framework to “justify” their aggression against Ukraine.
For his part, United States President Joe Biden responded to Putin’s speech, in which he denounced the West and rejected the use of nuclear weapons because “it would be politically or militarily nonsensical.” “If he doesn’t intend to use them, why does he keep talking about them?” the Democratic leader wondered. “Putin is dangerous in the way he talks about nuclear weapons,” he said.
Source: La Verdad
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