New Delhi

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied all reports claiming Ukraine is ready to use a “dirty bomb” in the ongoing conflict with Russia. The claim was initially made by Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu during his phone calls with his British, French and Turkish counterparts.

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During a conversation with Ukrainian Secretary of State Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken said that “the world would see through any attempt by Russia to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation”.

Kuleba also criticised Russia for making “absurd and “dangerous” claims in the middle of the ongoing conflict before adding that “Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves”.

Also read | Russia warns of 'uncontrolled escalation' after fresh bout of missile strikes

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed his concerns at the “misinformation campaign” from Russia and urged world leaders to take a stand against the Kremlin.

 â€œIf Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on social media.

“I believe that now the world should react as harshly as possible.”

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Although Russia has made the “dirty bomb” claims on multiple occasions, no proof was provided to back the claims. According to CNN, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s and since then, they do not possess any radioactive materials or weapons to cause that damage.

Russia has faced a number of setbacks recently with Ukrainian forces claiming as many as 88 towns and villages in the Kherson region – an area that Russia previously had “annexed”.