US President Joe Biden issued a strong warning to Russia on Tuesday, stating that unleashing a nuclear weapon in the conflict with Ukraine would be a horrible mistake on its part.
As reporters questioned Biden about his belief that Russia is planning a "dirty bomb" attack that it would later attribute to Ukraine, he responded, "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon."
Russia has frequently cautioned Ukraine not to use a "dirty bomb" on its own soil.
A 'dirty bomb' uses dynamite or other explosives to scatter radioactive dust, smoke, or other material to cause radioactive contaminationafter explosion.
The US and its allies fear that Russia may launch a "false flag" strike using a dirty bomb in order to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons as Moscow finds itself in a precarious position in eastern and southern Ukraine.
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Biden stated: "I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation yet. We don't know."
According to the Pentagon, Russia would suffer consequences if it used such technology.
"If Russia were to employ nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb, there would be consequences," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder warned without going into further details, while talking to reporters.
(with inputs from agencies)