Putin Forces 'Preparing To Work Under Radioactive Contamination' In Case Of Nuclear Attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army is ready to work in conditions of radioactive contamination in case of a nuclear attack.

What Happened: After the Kremlin accused Kyiv of planning to detonate a "dirty bomb," Russia on Monday said that it had prepared its forces to work in conditions of radioactive contamination.

The head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, told the media that Kyiv wanted to paint Russia as a "nuclear terrorist."

"Work has been organized by the ministry of defense to counter possible provocations from the Ukrainian side: forces and resources have been put in readiness to perform tasks in conditions of radioactive contamination," Kirillov said, reported Reuters.

This came after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu raised the specter of radiological warfare on Sunday during calls with western defense chiefs as he alleged that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb."

The U.S. and its allies strongly condemned Russia’s comments and dismissed claims that Kyiv is building or planning to use a dirty bomb. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow could be planning such an attack, which may be a sign that it could blame Kyiv for the attack.

Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was dismissive of their responses and said, "the unfounded denials of our Western colleagues, saying all this is fiction and that Russia itself plans to do something similar in order to later blame the Zelenskyy regime — this is not a serious conversation."

A senior defense official also said the U.S. has “seen nothing to indicate that the Russians have made a decision to employ nuclear weapons” in Ukraine. He added that the U.S. believes that Putin is "keeping lines of communication open" after the Kremlin requested a call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Russian defense minister on Sunday.