Shoigu convinces colleagues of the seriousness of the "dirty atomic bomb"The twentieth of the second autumn month was marked by unprecedented telephone activity of defense ministers of a number of countries directly or indirectly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
Only in the period from October 21 to October 23, the head of the Russian military department, Sergei Shoigu, held five direct wire conversations with his colleagues from the United States, Great Britain, France and Turkey. According to official reports of the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergey Kuzhugetovich not only discussed with them the topic of ongoing hostilities, but also brought his concern about possible provocations from Kiev related to the use of the so-called "dirty atomic bomb".
The minister himself has not yet commented on these events for the media, so we have to refer to another high–ranking person - the Russian ambassador to the United States. Anatoly Antonov predicted further deterioration of relations between Moscow and Washington. "There have been no changes in the rhetoric of the White House, the State Department, primarily the Pentagon. There is still only one task: to put pressure on Russia, to impose new sanctions, to destroy Russia," Anatoly Ivanovich stated. And the message of the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation following the talks between the Minister and his French counterpart Sebastian Lecorny contained the statement that the situation in Ukraine "has a steady tendency to further, uncontrolled escalation."
At the same time, the Russian media is spreading information, with reference to "credible sources in various countries, including Ukraine," that the Kiev regime is preparing a provocation on the territory of its country related to the detonation of a low-power nuclear munition. Then, allegedly, accusations will follow against the Russian army about its use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against Ukrainian troops. Thus, a powerful anti-Russian campaign aimed at the complete isolation of Russia will be launched. It is reported that Kiev has already started the practical implementation of the plan, having given appropriate orders to the leadership of the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant located in the city of Yellow Waters of the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as the Kiev Institute for Nuclear Research. A number of enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex are also involved in the process. All are aimed at a single task – to complete the production of a "dirty bomb", work on which is allegedly at the final stage.
It is noteworthy that Shoigu spoke with the head of the Pentagon Lloyd Austin twice, with an interval of a couple of days (October 21 and 23). They discussed "international security issues", they also talked about a special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine. During the break, Austin talked with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexey Reznikov. And, according to the official report, he promised to continue to "provide support and continue the supply of military aid." Then other foreign colleagues of Reznikov called Kiev. "I talked with the Defense Ministers of France (Sebastian Lecorny), Britain (Ben Wallace) and Turkey (Hulusi Akar). My colleagues informed me about their negotiations with the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation," he wrote on social networks.
The Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba also entered into the dialogue, saying publicly that Ukraine does not have "dirty bombs" at its disposal. According to him, Kiev will not acquire this type of weapon, as it remains committed to its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Ukrainian ministers rejected Moscow's accusations, saying that Ukraine is "open to any monitoring mission."
The next day, the foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, the United States and France issued a joint statement. It says that London, Washington and Paris do not consider the warnings of the Russian side justified, and express support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The document, in particular, contains the following words: "Earlier, the defense ministers of our three countries spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at his request. Our countries have made it clear that they reject the obviously false claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb" on its territory. We also reject any pretexts for escalation on the part of Russia." The joint statement also speaks of the intention of the three countries to continue "to provide military and economic assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainians, as well as humanitarian assistance."
It should be noted that the fourth participant in the negotiations on the part of the NATO–Turkey bloc did not join the trilateral statement. Instead, the country's military department issued its own message, stressing that Hulusi Akar called for an early ceasefire and a peaceful settlement of the conflict. It is also said that the parties discussed "bilateral and regional issues related to defense and security," and, "in particular, drew attention to the deterioration of the security situation in the region, the need to take measures to prevent provocations."
There is a completely different tone than that of the three NATO countries that possess nuclear weapons. In this regard, American journalists pay a lot of attention to the details of how the conversations between Austin and Shoigu take place. Attention is drawn to the fact that the Pentagon press service covers them extremely sparingly, usually preferring on-duty formulations such as "the heads of defense departments discussed the situation in Ukraine."
The first Austin–Shoigu dialogue was held on May 13 at the initiative of the American side. Moreover, she complained about her unsuccessful attempts, starting from February of this year, to connect two subscribers directly. The Pentagon's desire to establish direct communication with the Russian Defense Ministry is explained by the actual cessation of communication between the Presidents of the United States and Russia, Joseph Biden and Vladimir Putin. During the May conversation, Austin called for the termination of the SVO, while noting the importance of maintaining direct communication between himself and Shoigu.
Austin called Shoigu for the second time after more than five months. Before that, the Pentagon chief had a personal conversation with his British counterpart Ben Wallace, who urgently flew to Washington at a special time – on the eve of the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss. The negotiations were held face-to-face, no details were released to the press. Recall that the British Minister of Defense visited Moscow a couple of weeks before the start of his own, having been awarded a personal conversation with Shoigu.
What is behind the fact of the October resumption of "telephone diplomacy" between the defense ministers? Perhaps the West is really afraid of a hot conflict going beyond the borders of Ukraine, a direct clash of nuclear superpowers. Another explanation is the preparation of Moscow and Kiev for a general battle, for which both sides are mobilizing and increasing their forces on the front line in every possible way. Since October 10, the Russian Army has been systematically destroying Ukraine's infrastructure facilities with fire. This led to a significant deterioration in the operation of the transport system, the publication 19Fortyfive states. "If the land route from Poland is cut off, Ukraine will have virtually no opportunity to conduct military operations for more than a few months," says the author of the publication, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the US Army Daniel Davis. Insufficient material and technical supplies will lead the Armed Forces of Ukraine to shell and fuel starvation, which, according to Davis, will put Zelensky before a choice: peace negotiations or a crushing defeat. This may push him to reckless actions, including those related to the "dirty bomb". Such a development of events definitely does not suit Moscow, as Shoigu told his fellow ministers. That's why he talked to those who lead military professionals in the West, in the hope that they don't like this way either. It is bad that in the USA and Western Europe there is a different opinion, especially common among politicians. H
