Ukraine news: West rejects Russia’s allegation of Kyiv using ‘dirty bomb’

Western countries have accused Russia of plotting to use a threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine.

It comes as Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu phoned Western counterparts on Sunday to tell them Moscow suspected Kyiv of planning to use a so-called “dirty bomb”.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States said they had all rejected the allegations and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine against Russia.

“Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory,” they said. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”

In an overnight address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had said the Russian accusation was a sign Moscow was planning such an attack itself and would blame Ukraine.

“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this,” Zelensky said.

Key Points

• Russian spy chief blames West for nuclear tension

• Russian TV presenter apologises for saying Ukrainian children should be drowned

• Kyiv and west denounce Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claim

• Russian strikes rain down on Mykolaiv

• Russian-installed administration creates local militia in Kherson

• Kyiv accuses Russia of blocking full implementation of grain deal

• French, US and Britain foreign ministers reject Russia’s allegations of dirty bomb

Ukrainians brace for bitter winter as Russian blitz on energy plants intensifies

19:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Discarded water heaters, empty propane canisters and scraps of steel rebar, are the key ingredients needed to fight Ukraine’s imminent plunge into a bitterly cold darkness, writes Bel Trew.

That is according to Evgeny, 35, a former territorial defence member who is now back in his motorcycle garage in Kyiv, recovering from injuries sustained in the war.

In a tiny backstreet workshop, the wounded engineer and his team of three mechanics are busy welding makeshift pot belly stoves in a haze of sparks.

The squat grubby creations could be life savers: President Volodymyr Zelensky warned this weekend that there will be rolling power cuts across the country after officials estimated 40 per cent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by Russian drone and missile strikes which started two weeks ago.

Ukrainians brace for bitter winter as Russian blitz on energy plants intensifies

Kyiv and west denounce Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claim

07:55 , Emily Atkinson

The war in Ukraine is trending towards “uncontrolled escalation”, a Moscow official has claimed following a series of phone calls to western defence officials.

Without evidence, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu also claimed that Ukraine was planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” – conventional explosives laced with radioactive material – as a means of intensifying the conflict.

Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons, while Russia has said it could protect its territory with its nuclear arsenal.

Mr Shoigu’s claim was denounced by Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who referred to the accusation as “absurd” and “dangerous”, adding: “Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves.”

The west similarly rejected Moscow‘s warning about a “dirty bomb”. In a joint statement, Britain, France and the United States said: “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”

Apartment block destroyed as Russian strikes rain down on Mykolaiv

07:58 , Emily Atkinson

Russia launched a series of missiles and drones into the Ukrainian-held southern town of Mykolaiv on Sunday, which struck and destroyed an apartment block.

The strike on the shipbuilding town about 35 km (22 miles) northwest of the front line in Kherson came as Russia ordered 60,000 people to flee the region “to save your lives” in the face of a Ukrainian counter offensive.

No fatalities have been recorded.

Russian-installed administration creates local militia in Kherson

08:12 , Emily Atkinson

Russian-installed officials in the Kherson region of Ukraine have announced the formation of a local militia, saying that all men remaining in the city can join.

Moscow authorities have ordered civilians to evacuate from Kherson, one of four Ukrainian regions Russia said it had annexed last month even as Kyiv’s forces have made significant military gains.

Will Russia’s Iranian drones prompt Israel to arm Ukraine?

08:29 , Emily Atkinson

A direct and public plea for weaponry is pushing Israel’s balancing act to breaking point, writes Bel Trew

Will Russia’s Iranian drones prompt Israel to arm Ukraine?| Bel Trew

Russia continuing to use Iranian UAVs, says MoD

08:49 , Emily Atkinson

Russia is continuing to Iranian unscrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) against targets in Ukrainian territory, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its daily intelligence update.

Moscow is likely using the Iranian Shahed-136 UAVs to infiltrate Ukranian air defences and as a substitute for Russian-manufactured long-range precision weapons that are becoming increasingly scarce, its Twitter post reads.

Ukrainian efforts to contain the UAVs have been successful, the MoD said.

Kyiv accuses Russia of blocking full implementation of grain deal

09:15 , Emily Atkinson

Seven vessels carrying grain bound for Asia and Europe sailed off from Ukrainian ports on Sunday, but Kyiv has accused Russia of blocking the full implementation of Black Sea grain deal.

“Russia is deliberately blocking the full realisation of the Grain Initiative. As a result, these (Ukrainian) ports in the last few days are working only at 25-30 percent of their capacity,” Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said in a Telegram statement.

One of the ships had been chartered by the UN World Food Programme, carrying 40,000 tonnes of wheat from Chornomorsk and bound for Yemen.

“It is very important that today the sixth vessel sailed from our port with foodstuffs chartered in the context of the UN’s World Food Programme,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

“This ship is bound for Yemen with wheat. Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan – these three countries have already received foodstuffs thanks to our exports and the UN’s food programme.”

Russian TV presenter apologises for saying Ukrainian children should be drowned

09:41 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian TV presenter has apologised for calling for Ukrainian children to be drowned, as Moscow’s investigative committee said it was investigating his remarks.

In a show last week on state-run broadcaster RT, presenter Anton Krasovsky said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been “thrown straight into a river with a strong current” and drowned.

Ukraine said on Sunday that RT was an inciter of genocide and should be banned worldwide.

Margarita Simonyan, RT editor-in-chief, said she had suspended Krasovsky because of his “disgusting” comments, adding that no one at RT shared his views.

France joins Ukraine in condemning ‘dirty bomb’ claim

10:13 , Emily Atkinson

The French government has joined Ukraine in condemning Russia’s accusation that Kyiv was planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” as a disinformation campaign.

Taking to Twitter this morning, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had spoken with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna to coordinate his next steps in countering Russian “lies” and averting “any false flag operations”.

Ms Colonna called the Russian claim “transparently false.”

Fears over Russian threat to Norway's energy infrastructure

10:43 , Emily Atkinson

Norwegian oil and gas workers normally don’t see anything more threatening than North Sea waves crashing against the steel legs of their offshore platforms. But lately they have noticed a more troubling sight: unidentified drones buzzing in the skies overhead.

With Norway replacing Russia as Europe‘s main source of natural gas, military experts suspect the unmanned aircraft are Moscow‘s doings. They list espionage, sabotage and intimidation as possible motives for the drone flights.

The Norwegian government has sent warships, coastguard vessels and fighter jets to patrol around the offshore facilities. Norway’s national guard stationed soldiers around onshore refineries that also were buzzed by drones.

Fears over Russian threat to Norway's energy infrastructure

Watch: Russian TV presenter says Ukrainian children should be drowned in a river

11:04 , Emily Atkinson

UN calls for grain export backlog to be cleared

11:30 , Emily Atkinson

“Much more needs to be done” to clear the backlog of more than 150 ships involved in a Black Sea grain-export deal, a UN spokesperson has said.

“There are currently over 150 vessels waiting around Istanbul to move and these delays have the potential to cause disruptions to the supply chain and port operations,” said Ismini Palla, UN spokesperson for the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July, paved the way for Ukraine to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports that had been shut since Russia invaded.

Moscow also won guarantees for its own grain and fertiliser exports.

Romanian defence minister resigns after suggesting Ukraine should negotiate with Russia

11:56 , Emily Atkinson

Romania’s defence minister has resigned saying he could not collaborate with the country’s president just weeks after he said Ukraine’s only chance to end the war was to negotiate with Russia.

“My gesture (resignation) comes as it is impossible to cooperate with the Romanian president, the army’s commander-in-chief,” Vasile Dincu said in a statement.

“I think my withdrawal from the post is necessary so as to not harm decisions and programs which require fluid command chains and to not block a series of projects which are absolutely necessary for ... the ministry and the army.”

Kremlin says West ‘essentially stole’ gold and forex reserves via sanctions

12:20 , Emily Atkinson

A Kremlin official has accused the west of having “essentially stolen” its gold and forex reserves via sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.

Asked about the EU proposal to pass frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “In general, a part large of our assets have been essentially stolen by specific Western countries.”

Lavrov approaches UN for Ukrainian grain data

12:45 , Emily Atkinson

Russia has asked the UN for data on the destination and end-consumers for Ukrainian grain shipments.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that “corrections” to a deal to unblock Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea would depend on this information.

It comes after a UN spokesperson earlier said much more needs to be done” to clear the backlog of more than 150 ships involved in a Black Sea grain-export deal.

West rejects Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claims but fears grow of major escalation in Ukraine war

13:09 , Emily Atkinson

Western officials, including UK foreign secretary James Cleverly, have strongly refuted claims from Moscow that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb”, and instead have accused Russia of plotting to use a threat of a missile laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation of the war.

With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, Moscow’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu phoned Western counterparts to tell them his country suspected Kyiv of planning to use a “dirty bomb“.

That claim was also backed up on Monday by Moscow, with officials claiming Kyiv was in the “final stage” of creating such a weapon.

West rejects Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claims as fears rise of escalation in Ukraine war

Russian spy chief blames West for nuclear tension

13:40 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian spy chief has accused the West of inciting nuclear tensions with Moscow, but refused to say if Vladimir Putin would use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of the SVR Foreign Intelligence Service, denied there had been any nuclear sabre-rattling on Russia’s side.

Asked by the BBC if he could confirm that Russia would not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine or engage in other provocative actions, such as exploding a dirty bomb, or blowing up a dam, Mr Naryshkin said:“We are, of course, very concerned about Western rhetoric about the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

“Yesterday Russia’s defence minister talked by phone with his colleagues from Turkey, the US and France. He told them about the possible plans of the Ukrainian leadership to use a so-called ‘dirty nuclear bomb.”

‘Politically motivated’ Russian inspections causing grain backlog, says Kyiv

14:04 , Emily Atkinson

Russian inspections that have been creating “significant” delays for the export of Ukrainian food products via the Black Sea were “politically motivated” and a cause for concern, Kyiv has said.

“We have reason to believe delays in Russia‘s inspections of the grain initiative vessels are politically motivated,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Moscow baselessly accuses Kyiv of colluding with UK over ‘dirty bomb’ claim

14:57 , Emily Atkinson

The Kremlin has baselessly accused Kyiv of contacting the UK about the possibility of creating a “dirty bomb.”

Reiterating the broadly refuted accusation that Ukraine was considering deploying explosives laced with radioactive material, the Russian defence ministry said: “For this, Ukraine has an appropriate production base and scientific potential.

“So, in Ukraine there are nuclear industry enterprises that have stocks of radioactive substances that can be used to create a ‘dirty bomb’,” it said in a Telegram post,

Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons, while Russia has said it could protect its territory with its nuclear arsenal.

Russian fighter jet fatally crashes into Siberian residential building days after similar crash near Ukraine

15:34 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian fighter jet has crashed into a residential building in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, in the second such fatal incident this week.

The two pilots were killed after the Sukhoi Su-30 plane hit a multi-storey building in the regional capital which housed two families, officials said.

The five residents were not home at the time of the plane crash, Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev claimed.

Power was knocked out to 150 homes in the vicinity, as firefighters sought to control the resulting blaze from the crash, which initially affected some 200 square metres, Mr Kobzev said.

Andy Gregory reports:

Russian fighter jet fatally crashes into Siberian residential building

Cost of Ukraine reconstruction at £663bn, says Kyiv

16:02 , Emily Atkinson

Reconstruction costs across war-torn Ukraine currently stand at £663bn, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal claimed at business forum with German officials this morning.

It is unclear how reconstruction will be paid for, with cities such as Mariupol and Bucha having been razed to the ground by Russian artillery.

Russian, US chiefs of staff discuss risk of ‘dirty bomb’ in Ukraine - RIA

16:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian military chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov and the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley spoke by phone on Monday and discussed the possibility raised by Moscow that Ukraine might use a “dirty bomb”, RIA news agency reported.

The call took place shortly after a similar conversation between Gerasimov and his British counterpart.

The foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States said earlier they all rejected “Russia‘s transparently false allegations”. Ukraine said the Russian accusation was a sign that Moscow was planning such an attack itself and would blame Kyiv.

Accusing Russia of planning 'dirty bomb' attack is 'not serious conversation' - Lavrov

16:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that accusing Moscow of planning an attack with a radioactive “dirty bomb”, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did on Sunday, was “not a serious conversation”, the Interfax news agency reported.

Lavrov was reported to have made the remarks to journalists at the Valdai Discussion Club think tank.

Russia says its forces are preparing to work under radioactive contamination

17:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s defence ministry said on Monday that it had prepared its forces to work in conditions of radioactive contamination, after Moscow accused Ukraine of planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” - something Kyiv has strongly denied.

The remark was made by the head of Russia‘s nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, in a media briefing.

No indications Russia has decided to employ a nuclear weapon, US official

17:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The United States has no indications that Russia has decided to employ a nuclear weapon, biological weapon or chemical weapon, a US military official told reporters on Monday, despite U.S. concerns about false Russian warnings of a Ukrainian dirty bomb plot.

The remarks followed calls between the U.S. defense secretary and his Russian counterpart on Sunday and a call on Monday between the top US and Russian generals.

President Zelensky asks Israel to join fight against Russia

18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called on Israel to join the fight against Russia and repeated a request for Israeli air defence systems.

“Isn’t it time for your state to choose who you are with as well?” Zelensky said in a video speech to a conference for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“Is it with the democratic world, which is fighting side by side against the existential threat to its existence? Or with those who turn a blind eye to Russian terror, even when the cost of continued terror is the complete destruction of global security,” he said.

Israel has condemned the Russian invasion. But it has been wary of straining relations with Moscow, a power broker in neighbouring Syria where Israeli forces frequently attack pro-Iranian militia, and wants to ensure the wellbeing of Russia‘s Jews.

Israel, which will choose a new government in an election on Nov. 1, has limited its assistance to deliveries of humanitarian aid and defensive equipment. Most recently it offered to help Ukrainians develop air attack alerts for civilians.

Zelenskiy said that was not enough and asked that Israeli leaders reconsider sending air defenses as well. He has made the same appeal a number of times since the war started in February.

No indications Russia has decided to employ a nuclear weapon, US official

18:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The United States has no indications that Russia has decided to employ a nuclear weapon, biological weapon or chemical weapon, a US military official told reporters on Monday, despite US concerns about false Russian warnings of a Ukrainian dirty bomb plot.

The remarks followed calls between the US defense secretary and his Russian counterpart on Sunday and a call on Monday between the top US and Russian generals.

US house speaker Pelosi says Iran making ‘big mistake’ supplying Russia with drones

18:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that Iran was making the world less safe by supplying Russia with drones to be used against targets in Ukraine.

“I think Iran is making a big mistake,” Pelosi said after meeting Croatia’s prime minister Andrej Plenkovic.

“First of all we have to be able to counter the drones... it is a dangerous technology and it must be stopped,” she said.

Pelosi arrived in Zagreb on Monday to attend a forum aimed at supporting Ukraine‘s independence and the return of the Crimean peninsula to Kyiv.

“We’ve been trying for a while now to have a nuclear agreement with Iran so that we can make the world a safer place and now they’re going off aiding the Russians and making the world a less safe place,” Pelosi said.

Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Pelosi, who visited the war-torn country earlier this year, has been a strong supporter of providing aid and military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 in what it has called a “special military operation.”

The Crimea Platform summit, which is being held in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, will hear from Ukrainian government officials and outside experts focusing on Crimea’s reintegration after Moscow’s annexation of the Eastern European peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Iran says it will not remain indifferent if proven Russia uses its drones in Ukraine

19:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Iran will not remain indifferent if it is proven that its drones are being used by Russia in the Ukraine war, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was reported as saying by Iranian state media on Monday.

“If it is proven to us that Iranian drones are being used in the Ukraine war against people, we should not remain indifferent,” Amirabdollahian said, before adding that the defence cooperation between Tehran and Moscow will continue.

Ukrainians brace for bitter winter as Russian blitz on energy plants intensifies

19:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Discarded water heaters, empty propane canisters and scraps of steel rebar, are the key ingredients needed to fight Ukraine’s imminent plunge into a bitterly cold darkness, writes Bel Trew.

That is according to Evgeny, 35, a former territorial defence member who is now back in his motorcycle garage in Kyiv, recovering from injuries sustained in the war.

In a tiny backstreet workshop, the wounded engineer and his team of three mechanics are busy welding makeshift pot belly stoves in a haze of sparks.

The squat grubby creations could be life savers: President Volodymyr Zelensky warned this weekend that there will be rolling power cuts across the country after officials estimated 40 per cent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by Russian drone and missile strikes which started two weeks ago.

Ukrainians brace for bitter winter as Russian blitz on energy plants intensifies

Nato allies reject Russia’s “dirty bomb” allegation, says Nato's Stoltenberg

20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said Nato allies reject Russia‘s allegation that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory, adding that he just had a call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his UK counterpart Ben Wallace on the matter.

“Nato allies reject (Russia‘s) allegation. Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation”, Stoltenberg said.

US says Russia would face consequences for using ‘dirty bomb’ or a nuclear bomb

20:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a so-called “dirty bomb” or a conventional nuclear weapon, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.

Washington and other Western countries have accused Russia of plotting to use a threat of a device laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine.

Asked if Washington would treat the use of a “dirty bomb” the same as any other nuclear bomb, Price said “there would be consequences” for Russia either way.

“Whether it uses a ‘dirty bomb’ or a nuclear bomb. We’ve been very clear about that,” Price told reporters.

Ukraine war headed for ‘uncontrolled escalation’ as dirty bomb fears grow

21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Western officials, including UK foreign secretary James Cleverly, have strongly refuted claims from Moscow that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb”, and instead have accused Russia of plotting to use a threat of a missile laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation of the war.

With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, Moscow’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu phoned Western counterparts to tell them his country suspected Kyiv of planning to use a “dirty bomb“.

That claim was also backed up on Monday by Moscow, with officials claiming Kyiv was in the “final stage” of creating such a weapon.

However, in a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States said they rejected the allegations by Russia.

Read more here:

Ukraine war headed for ‘uncontrolled escalation’ as dirty bomb fears grow