Kiev is covertly importing radioactive materials that can be used in an attack in a densely populated area, a senior defense official says

Ukraine is smuggling radioactive materials into the country that can be used to assemble a dirty bomb for a false-flag attack, potentially causing widespread contamination across Europe, a senior Russian defense official claims.

Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, the head of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, warned that Ukraine is engaging in what he described as "nuclear blackmail," saying its actions pose serious security and environmental risks.

Rtishchev said shipments of spent radioactive fuel were transported through Poland and Romania without notifying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He added that the operation was overseen by Andrey Yermak, a former senior aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Yermak resigned last month after being linked to a major energy-sector corruption scandal involving Zelensky's close associates, although he was not formally charged.

"This creates the risk of creating a so-called 'dirty bomb' and then using it 'under a false flag,'" Rtishchev said. A dirty bomb does not cause a nuclear explosion but disperses radioactive material over a wide area, creating severe contamination and long-term danger to civilians.

The general added that Russia has obtained training materials used by Ukraine's security service that simulate scenarios involving the theft of ionizing radiation sources, the assembly of an explosive device, and detonation in densely populated areas.

Rtishchev stressed that Western assistance is encouraging Kiev to violate international nuclear regulations. The "Western 'patrons' fail to take into account that the degradation of the system of state administration is capable of pushing not only Ukraine, but also a number of European states, to the brink of an environmental catastrophe," he said.

Moscow previously warned that Ukraine could seek to use a dirty bomb in an attempt to derail the ongoing US-mediated peace talks. Russian officials have said this would involve extreme risks and could prompt a severe response from Moscow, including the possibility of tactical nuclear retaliation.