War latest: Ukraine dismisses Russia’s ‘absurd’ dirty bomb claims

Britain has warned Russia against escalating the war in Ukraine after claims by its defence minister that Kyiv is set to use a radioactive “dirty bomb”.

General Sergei Shoigu held a series of calls with Western counterparts on Sunday to make the allegation, sparking fears of a false-flag attack.

The Russian defence minister said he was concerned about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a “dirty bomb” in talks with his opposite numbers in the UK, US, France and Turkey.

Gen Shoigu said Britain was among the Western countries helping Ukraine plan “actions … to escalate the conflict in Ukraine”, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Russian state media on Sunday claimed Britain was helping Kyiv gather nuclear material to use on the battlefield in a “low-yield nuclear weapon”.

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, “refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation”, MoD said.

READ MORE: Britain warns Russia against escalating the war in Ukraine after false ‘dirty bomb’ claim