Shoigu spreads "dirty bomb" hoax to stop aid to Ukraine – ISW

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu is spreading rumors about a "dirty bomb" to scare Ukraine's Western partners into stopping arms aid to Ukraine.

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Shoigu made at least four phone calls on October 23: to France, Turkey, Great Britain, and the United States.

During these conversations, he claimed that Kyiv was preparing to carry out a false flag attack using a "dirty bomb" (conventional explosives impregnated with radioactive material that is not a nuclear weapon) to accuse the Russian Federation of using weapons of mass destruction.

Then Kremlin propagandists picked up this message.

ISW informs that the reports of the Ministry of Defense of Russia about the calls contain discrepancies. It states that:

• during a conversation with his French colleague, Shoigu discussed the declared "steady tendency to further, uncontrolled escalation" in Ukraine;
• discussed the "situation in Ukraine" and made false statements that Ukraine was preparing to use a "dirty bomb" in its talks with Great Britain, France, and Turkiye;
• discussed the situation in Ukraine without mentioning any "dirty bomb" in a conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Experts explain that Shoigu's statements continue the Kremlin's long-standing information campaign that the West will help Ukraine carry out an attack with weapons of mass destruction under a false flag.

Analysts added that Shoigu's series of calls were likely further weapon rattling by Russia to intimidate Western supporters of Ukraine and possibly widen divisions within NATO.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that Ukraine is allegedly preparing to use a "dirty bomb."

Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba emphasized that Russia's lies about Ukraine's alleged plans to use a "dirty bomb" are absurd, and that Ukraine does not have any "dirty bombs." He also emphasized that Russia usually blames others for what it plans itself.