UPDATED: Putin accuses Ukraine of ‘dirty bomb’ plans, says risks of world conflict high
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MOSCOW, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was aware of Ukrainian plans to use a “dirty bomb”, echoing an unsubstantiated allegation repeatedly made by Moscow in recent days.
Speaking at a meeting with the intelligence chiefs of several former Soviet countries, Putin said that the risk of conflict in the world and region was high, and that security should be heightened around key infrastructure sites.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart and expressed concerns about “possible provocations by Ukraine involving the use of a dirty bomb”, Shoigu’s ministry said.
Russia first raised the allegation on Sunday that Ukraine was preparing to detonate a radioactive device. Ukraine and its Western allies have strongly rejected that and raised concerns that Russia may use it as a pretext to escalate the war.
Shoigu held a similar call on Wednesday with his Indian counterpart.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that nuclear weapons should not be used by any side in the Ukraine war, according to an Indian government statement.
“The prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity,” Singh told Shoigu while reiterating the need for an early resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
In other developments:
CONFLICT
* Russian-installed authorities in Kherson city have been encouraging residents to flee to the east bank, but Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said there was no sign that Russian forces themselves were preparing to abandon the city.
DIPLOMACY
* Russia has notified the United States about planned annual exercises of its nuclear forces, which Washington said lowers the risk of miscalculation at a time of “reckless” Russian nuclear rhetoric.
* New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on the importance of supporting Ukraine. Sunak also spoke with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and the pair saw the need to continue to pressure the Moscow regime.
* A group of liberal U.S. Democrats withdrew a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war after blowback from within their own party.
ECONOMY
* Kazatomprom, the world’s biggest uranium miner, is seeking to boost the capacity of its alternative shipping route which bypasses Russia to mitigate risks from potential sanctions, the Kazakh company said.
* Mercedes-Benz said it would withdraw from the Russian market and sell shares in its industrial and financial services subsidiaries to a local investor, becoming the latest carmaker to exit the country.
* Ukraine will not face a shortage of potatoes this winter despite its refusal to import from Russia and Belarus, the agriculture ministry said.
* The White House has welcomed moves by Saudi Arabia to help Ukraine in its war with Russia as President Biden ponders how tough to be against the Saudis for joining an oil output cut.
