The head of Nato warned Russia on Monday not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine with false claims that Kyiv is planning to unleash a so-called dirty bomb.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg commented on the situation following Moscow's repeated allegations that Ukraine could use such a weapon, sparking fears Russia could use one and blame Kyiv.
Mr Stoltenberg said he had spoken with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace “about Russia's false claim that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory”.
“Nato allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter.
Moscow has alleged that Ukraine is close to developing a dirty bomb, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted the threat is real.
“This is not empty information … there are serious suspicions that such things may be planned,” Mr Lavrov said. “We have a keen interest in preventing such a terrible provocation.”
But State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington is worried that Russia's claims could be a cover.
“We have seen a pattern in this conflict and the lead-up to this war where the Russians have engaged in mirror imaging — the Russians have accused the Ukrainians, the Russians have accused other countries of what itself was planning. That is our concern”, Mr Price said.
The head of the Russian army Valery Gerasimov repeated Moscow's claims in a telephone call with his US counterpart on Monday, the defence ministry said.
Ukraine war latest — in pictures
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Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters -
Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA -
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP -
People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA -
A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters -
A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images -
People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters -
Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters -
Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters -
Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters -
A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP -
Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA -
A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP -
Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA -
Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP -
An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP -
A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP -
A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP -
Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP -
Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP -
Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP -
Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images -
Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images -
Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images -
A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images -
In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP -
Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP -
Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP -
Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP -
Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP -
A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP -
This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP
The call was the latest in a string of conversations between Russian defence officials and counterparts from Nato countries, during which Moscow said, without providing evidence, that Kyiv was planning to deploy a dirty bomb.
“According to the information we have, two organisations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called dirty bomb. This work is in its final stage,” said Russian Lt Gen Igor Kirillov in a statement on Monday.
At its most basic, a dirty bomb is a conventional weapon laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials that are disseminated in an explosion.
Moscow's claims follow weeks of military defeats for Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine, with observers and Kyiv saying the Kremlin is becoming increasingly desperate.
In Kyiv's latest announcement of territorial gains, the Ukrainian military claims to have pushed Russian forces from several villages in the north-east of the country.
“Due to successful actions, our troops pushed the enemy out of the settlements of Karmazynivka, Myasozharivka and Nevske in the Lugansk region and Novosadove in Donetsk region,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.
Both Kyiv and its allies have fiercely rejected the dirty bomb claims, which follow thinly veiled threats from Moscow of potential nuclear escalation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the head of the UN-run International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, accepted his request to “urgently send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine, which Russia deceitfully claims to be developing a dirty bomb”.
Putin vows continued 'tough' attacks against Ukraine — video
The IAEA confirmed in a statement that it would visit two Ukrainian facilities “in the coming days”.
Britain, the US and France also issued a joint statement dismissing the Russian claims.
“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,” the statement said.
With the help of western-supplied heavy weapons, Ukraine has managed to claw back parts of its territory from Russia in the east and south, while its power grid has been pummelled before winter.
As momentum has swung towards Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced fissures in domestic support for his campaign, as a messy troop draft and battlefield losses challenged the prospect of a quick conclusion.
The Kremlin meanwhile said on Monday that France and Germany were showing “no desire” to participate in mediation of the conflict and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's offer to organise talks.
Turkey helped broker the deal that allowed grain exports to resume under the UN's aegis in July, and played a role in a prisoner swap in September, one of the largest exchanges.
