What is a ‘Dirty Bomb’ and Why is Russia Warning About It?

On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed his NATO counterparts that Kiev may be preparing a false-flag dirty bomb attack against its own territory to accuse Moscow of nuclear terror. If such a provocation takes place, it could irradiate wide swathes of land, endanger thousands of lives, and dramatically escalate the crisis.

Russia has expressed fears that Kiev may detonate a radiation-spewing “dirty bomb” and blame Moscow for using a tactical nuclear weapon against its forces. Russia’s nuclear doctrine forbids the use of nuclear weapons of any kind unless the country is attacked using weapons of mass destruction, or faces a conventional attack so severe it threatens the country’s existence. But that fact is unlikely to stop the West from blaming Russia in the event of a false-flag dirty bomb attack, Moscow fears.