Western Officials Warn Russia Could Use a Dirty Bomb as a Pretext
New York TimesOct 25, 2022
Day 244 Roundup: UN Watchdog to Visit Sites Amid 'Dirty Bomb' Claims; Democrats Press Biden to Engage with Russia
The Facts
Amid Russian allegations that it has evidence that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb" which it presented to a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the UN's nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — said it would send inspectors to two locations in Ukraine at Kyiv's request.
According to Russian news outlet RIA Novosti, Moscow's allegations center around two locations — the Eastern Mineral Enrichment Plant in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv. The IAEA didn't specify which sites it would visit.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia has collected evidence to back up its claims and it's prepared to provide this to Western countries. These allegations should be taken seriously.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that at least one nuclear weapon will be detonated in Ukraine Before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
