It is reported that on October 23 local time, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu had another call with US Defense Secretary Austin. This is the second call between Shoigu and Austin in three days, the last time it was October 21. At that time, the two sides discussed the current situation in Russia and Ukraine and other international hot security topics, and emphasized the importance of the Russian and American militaries continuing to maintain smooth communication.
And during the October 23 call, Austin said the United States rejected any excuses for Russia to escalate the conflict, while reaffirming the importance of continuing to maintain communication. According to reports, Austin said this during the call with Shoigu because Shoigu expressed concerns that Ukraine might use " dirty bomb ".
It is reported that the "dirty bomb" is a radioactive bomb that does not produce nuclear explosion . The power of this weapon is equivalent to the small nuclear weapon or tactical nuclear weapons. But in comparison, "dirty bullets" are cheaper and easier to make. More importantly, the radioactivity of this weapon is not inferior to that of the nuclear bomb . Although it does not produce a nuclear explosion, the transmission of radioactive particles caused by it will cause harm to the human body.
Therefore, when Shoigu issued a warning that Ukraine might use "dirty bombs" to deal with the Russian army, the international community could not help but worry about the direction of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. But Austin believes that Shoigu's warning is just an excuse for Russia to escalate the conflict, so he accused Russia on the phone.
It is worth noting that Shoigu not only expressed concerns to the US Secretary of Defense that Ukraine may use "dirty bombs". It is reported that earlier on October 23, Shoigu had a call with French Defense Minister Lekol, British Defense Minister Wallace and Turkey Defense Minister Akar, respectively, and also expressed concerns about Ukraine's use of "dirty bombs".
However, after the call ended, the French, British and Turkish defense ministers did not accuse Ukraine. Not only that, British Defense Minister Wallace also refuted Shoigu's statement and warned that the allegation should not be used as an excuse to further escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Compared with the accusations and warnings of the US and British defense ministers, the French defense minister's statement was more moderate. According to Russian Defense Ministry , Lekol reiterated France's desire to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in his call with Shoigu, and said that France refused to be involved in any form of escalation of conflict.
However, after Shoigu had a call with foreign ministers from four countries, the defense ministers of the United States, Britain and France issued a joint statement, responding to Russia's allegations that Ukraine might use "dirty bombs". The joint statement said Shoigu's statement was obviously false allegations and accused Russia of doing so to find excuses to further escalate the situation.
Later that day, Ukraine responded to the allegations of using "dirty bombs". According to reports, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kureba said that Russia's lies about "dirty bombs" are both absurd and dangerous. In response, Zelensky suggested that Russia is the one that is likely to use the "dirty bomb".
reported that Zelensky said in his speech on the evening of the 23rd that there is only one source of nuclear weapons used in Europe, that is Russia. At the same time, he said that if Russia says something Ukraine is preparing to do, it is not a fact, but rather means that Russia is ready to do it.
Zelensky also said that if Russia uses "dirty bombs", he believes the international community will respond in the toughest way. But it should be noted that no matter who uses the "dirty bomb", it will cause serious harm to the soldiers and people of both countries, and will inevitably escalate the situation in Ukraine.
The current situation in Ukraine is close to the brink of war. For several days, the Russian army has continued to launch strikes on Ukrainian energy and military facilities, resulting in the Ukrainian army's continuous combat capabilities being greatly weakened. Ukraine is not willing to be outdone. The Ukrainian army's offensive in Khlsong is getting stronger and stronger, and local people have been forced to start evacuation.
While the situation is so tense, Western countries are still fanning the flames. NATO nuclear exercises have been launched in mid-October and are still continuing.In addition, just recently, the elite US military force, the Army 101 Airborne Division, was also deployed at , Romania, , which is only a few miles from the Ukrainian border.
Currently, the 101st Airborne Division is conducting joint exercises with the Romanian army. The commander of the unit also said that if the Russian-Ukrainian war escalates or the NATO countries are attacked, the unit will enter Ukraine to fight at any time. But if the US military directly intervenes in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it will inevitably be retaliated by the Russian army. I hope the US will think twice.
