I was looking at an article published today on the New York Times that, while having good information, was also way too dismissive of Russia's concern of Ukraine using a "dirty bomb". This one, to be precise:
Russian Military Leaders Discussed Use of Nuclear Weapons, U.S. Officials Say | New York Times
So I thought it'd be good to put out an article from a former marine intelligence officer, suggesting that Russia's concerns are quite real, regardless of whether they are mistaken on the probability of it occurring. Here's the introduction to his article:
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October 25, 2022
Russia appears to be legitimately concerned about the possibility of Ukraine building and using a “dirty bomb,” so much so that it has taken the unprecedented step of reaching out to multiple senior Western defense authorities.
by Scott Ritter
In the span of a few hours on Sunday, the senior-most Russian defense authorities — Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and General Gennady Gerasimov — called their counterparts in the U.S., U.K., France, and Turkey, with the same message — Ukraine is preparing to detonate a so-called “dirty bomb”— high explosive-wrapped radiological material, designed to contaminate large areas with deadly radioactive isotopes.
Russia is not only concerned about the immediate impact of Ukraine detonating such a devise in terms of the harm that would be done to people and the environment, but also about the potential for such an event to be used by Ukraine’s western allies to directly intervene militarily in the ongoing conflict, similar to what occurred in Syria when allegations about the use of Sarin nerve agent by the Syrian government against civilians were used by the U.S., U.K., and France to justify an attack on Syrian military and infrastructure targets. (It turned out that the allegations of Sarin use were false; the jury is still out about the use of commercial chlorine as a weapon.)
Russia is to raise the matter at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
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Full article:
Scott Ritter: Russia’s ‘Dirty Bomb’ Scare | Consortium News
Russian Military Leaders Discussed Use of Nuclear Weapons, U.S. Officials Say | New York Times
So I thought it'd be good to put out an article from a former marine intelligence officer, suggesting that Russia's concerns are quite real, regardless of whether they are mistaken on the probability of it occurring. Here's the introduction to his article:
**
October 25, 2022
Russia appears to be legitimately concerned about the possibility of Ukraine building and using a “dirty bomb,” so much so that it has taken the unprecedented step of reaching out to multiple senior Western defense authorities.
by Scott Ritter
In the span of a few hours on Sunday, the senior-most Russian defense authorities — Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and General Gennady Gerasimov — called their counterparts in the U.S., U.K., France, and Turkey, with the same message — Ukraine is preparing to detonate a so-called “dirty bomb”— high explosive-wrapped radiological material, designed to contaminate large areas with deadly radioactive isotopes.
Russia is not only concerned about the immediate impact of Ukraine detonating such a devise in terms of the harm that would be done to people and the environment, but also about the potential for such an event to be used by Ukraine’s western allies to directly intervene militarily in the ongoing conflict, similar to what occurred in Syria when allegations about the use of Sarin nerve agent by the Syrian government against civilians were used by the U.S., U.K., and France to justify an attack on Syrian military and infrastructure targets. (It turned out that the allegations of Sarin use were false; the jury is still out about the use of commercial chlorine as a weapon.)
Russia is to raise the matter at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
**
Full article:
Scott Ritter: Russia’s ‘Dirty Bomb’ Scare | Consortium News
