Ukraine updates: West rejects 'dirty bomb' claims

Western countries on Monday rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine has plans to use a "dirty bomb."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had phoned Western counterparts on Sunday to tell them Moscow suspected Kyiv of planning to use a a bomb laced with nuclear material.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States said they had all rejected the allegations and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine against Russia.

"Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia's transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory," they said. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation."

British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin rejected Russia's allegations in a call on Monday with Russian military Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It also said both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said that Russia mustn't use false a "dirty bomb" claim to escalate Ukraine conflict.  "NATO Allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine," Stoltenberg tweeted after a meeting with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and British Defence Minister Ben Wallace.

And US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that there would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a so-called "dirty bomb" or a conventional nuclear weapon. 

Asked if Washington would treat the use of a "dirty bomb" the same as any other nuclear bomb, Price said "there would be consequences" for Russia either way. "Whether it uses a 'dirty bomb' or a nuclear bomb. We've been very clear about that," Price told reporters. 

In an apparent reaction to Russian claims, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday it will send inspectors in the coming days to two Ukrainian sites at Kyiv's request.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine," the IAEA said in a statement, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago.

"The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days. The purpose of the safeguards visits is to detect any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material," it added.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian accusation was a sign Moscow was planning such an attack itself and would blame Ukraine.

Here are the other main headlines from the war in Ukraine on October 24:

Russian, US army heads hold first call about Ukraine since May

The head of the Russian army Valery Gerasimov has spoken with his US counterpart Mark Milley for the first time since May.

The Russian Defense Ministry in a statement said that Gerasimov discussed with Milley "the situation related to the possible use of a 'dirty bomb' by Ukraine."

On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also told several NATO counterparts that Moscow was concerned Kyiv could be planning to use a "dirty bomb." Ukrainian officials rejected Moscow's claims.

Meanwhile, a senior US military official said that the United States has seen no indications that Russia has decided to use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

 "We still have seen nothing to indicate that the Russians have made a decision to employ nuclear weapons," the official told journalists, later adding that the same applies to chemical and biological arms.

German, EU leaders call for 'Marshall Plan' for Ukraine

At an economic forum in Berlin focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the rebuilding of Ukraine is a "generational task that must begin now."

"As we rebuild Ukraine, then let us do so with the goal of Ukraine as an EU member in mind," Scholz said, noting that over 2,000 German companies had invested and were active in Ukraine prior to the war.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended the conference with German business leaders eager to help with the country's rebuilding.

In an articlevon der Leyen co-authored with Scholz for German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the pair called for "nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century."

The Marshall Plan was the US funding plan for the postwar reconstruction of Western European countries after the Second World War.

Hans-Ulrich Engel, the deputy chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, said funds should be "directed toward an efficient organization of emergency aid" to rebuild the devastated civilian infrastructure.

Israel strikes Iranian drone factory in Syria — reports

Israeli media cited a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that said the Israeli strike on Syrian territory on October 21 hit an Iranian drone factory.

The rights group reported late Sunday, "military logistics and equipment used to assemble Iranian-made drones in Dimas military airport area in western Rif Dimashq were destroyed after being directly targeted by Israeli missiles. A radar and airstrip were also targeted at the airport."

The report comes amid reports of the widespread usage of Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against civilian targets in Ukraine. The US has also said that Iranian instructors are in Crimea to train Russian forces on the use of the kamikaze drones.

Iran has denied that its drones or personnel are involved but has not offered proof to counter the substantial amount of evidence offered by the Ukrainians of their usage, including wreckage and significant amounts of footage of their deployment.

Zelenskyy criticizes Israeli neutrality in Russian-Iran 'alliance'

Israel has come under fierce criticism for its stated neutrality in the war and for its unwillingness to supply Ukraine with air defense systems.

Speaking in a recorded address at a democracy conference sponsored by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested Russia would assist Iran with its nuclear program in exchange for the transfer of drones and missiles.

"How does Russia pay Iran for this, in your opinion? Is Iran just interested in money? Probably not money at all, but Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear program," Zelenskyy said. 

An editorial in Haaretz last week suggested the policy of providing only humanitarian assistance to Ukraine has incurred "the wrath of the Russians, the deep resentment of the Ukrainians and the disappointment of the Americans."

Timothy Snyder, a well-known Ukraine scholar at Yale University, tweeted after the first day the Shahed-136 terrorized Kyiv, "Israeli neutrality in Russia's genocidal war on Ukraine was always an ethical error. It is now perfectly clear that it was also a strategic disaster." 

Russia's Ministry of Defense behind Wagner, says former Wagner employee

Alexander Slodeyev, a former employee of the notorious Wagner group who has sought political asylum in France, said the Russian Ministry of Defense is behind the mercenary firm's formation.

At the center for asylum seekers in Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, AFP reports Slodeyev said, "I was there when this organization was founded."

The 53-year-old said he became involved with Wagner in the period between 2014 and 2015 when Russia began to partially occupy the Donbass and was responsible for helping to organize the yearly "Russian March" of right-wing extremists and monarchists.

"The organization was established by the Ministry of Defense," Slodeyev said.

In late September, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the firm once known as "Putin's chef" said he created Wagner in late 2014, labeling it a "pillar" in Russia's defense industry. Slodeyev by contrast claims that after its creation the GRU, Russia's military intelligence, then placed Prigozhin at the helm.

Slodeyev said, "We all got military uniforms directly from special GRU camps. We were given very nice uniforms," and paid in cash by GRU officials. Slodeyev said he spoke frequently to Prigozhin, keeping him abreast of developments such as the casualty figures in Palmyra, Syria during major fighting there.

Slodeyev was previously granted asylum in France in 2003 but returned to Russia in 2010.

Kyiv spy chief: Destroying Khakhova dam would only slow advance 2 weeks

Ukraine's military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainska Pravda that if Russia were to blow up the Khakhova dam, which it has reportedly partially mined, it would only slow Ukraine's advance by roughly two weeks.

While Russia has countered by accusing Ukraine of much the same, Budanov said that mines alone would not destroy the dam and that many tons of explosives would be required to blow it up. He added that it would inevitably unleash an environmentally catastrophic flood that could threaten the water supply in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Budanov also noted that the destruction of the dam would "destroy the possibility of the existence of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant because this facility is inextricably linked to it."

Zaporizhzhia is Europe's largest nuclear plant. Russian forces have occupied it and abducted the Ukrainian management and forced other employees to work under humiliating and difficult conditions.

Romania's defense minister resigns over Ukraine comments

Amid weeks of pressure after saying that the only way for Ukraine to end the war was to negotiate with Russia, Romania's defense minister Vasile Dincu resigned.

An EU and NATO member, Romania shares a 650 kilometer (400 mile) border with Ukraine. The country is also home to a US ballistic missile defense system and a NATO battlegroup. More than 2.5 million Ukrainians fled Russia's invasion through Romania.

Dincu said his resignation "comes as it is impossible to cooperate with the Romanian president, the army's commander-in-chief."

At the start of October, Dincu said Ukraine needed allies to force Russia to offer Kyiv security guarantees through negotiations. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the leaders of the Bucharest's governing coalition were critical of comments Dincu said were taken out of context.

Iohannis said it was up to Ukraine to determine when it wished to negotiate.

Kremlin forum blames West for invasion

The Valdai Discussion Club got underway in Moscow with the release of a report entitled, "A World Without Superpowers," that lays out Russia's logic and understanding of its war against Ukraine.

Valdai is a 19-year-old event affiliated with the Kremlin that hosts Russia-focused experts who come to hobnob with Russia's political elite, including President Vladimir Putin whose address to the forum typically headlines the event.

In the report, the authors, all affiliated with prestigious foreign affairs institutions in Russia including MGIMO University and the Russian International Affairs Council, declare that after the Soviet Union fell, Russia's "relations with the West have been based on the belief that Russia's interest in participating in a Western-centric international system is much more important than Moscow's interests in ensuring its own security."

The report continues, "Everyone got used to this circumstance and began to take it for granted, especially in the West. Hence, the almost revolutionary nature of the events that unfolded in 2022, when Russia became the first major power which, guided by its own ideas of security and fairness, chose to discard the benefits of 'global peace' created by the only superpower (the United States)."

The authors continue, "Those benefits were seen by the Kremlin as much too risky, since political and economic integration into the system of collective interdependence imposes excessive restrictions on any particular state's freedom of action."

The report points a finger at Western sanctions against Russia, notably the freezing of gold and foreign currency reserves, as triggering the end of "the global nature of the global economy and the security of countries' financial assets placed with international markets." The Valdai authors note a more than threefold increase in the sanctions placed on Russia following its February invasion of Ukraine.

In assessing that invasion, the report declares it "still premature to assess the results of Russia's special military operatiom," Moscow's official term for its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Valdai report suggests a weakened West overtaken by such things as the financial crisis, hegemonic interests, and "cancel culture" is to blame for Russia's decision to invade Ukraine and the actions of its forces. The report singles out Germany and France as "post-heroic" societies likely to throw up the most resistance to what it describes as US plans for global domination.

"Any incident can ignite a crisis that threatens the vital interests of European countries," the report says.

Russian commentator apologizes for comments about killing Ukrainian children

Anton Krasovsky, a pro-Kremlin pundit already under Western sanctions, apologized after he was fired by Russian state television channel RT when comments he made about committing acts of torture and murder against Ukrainian children went viral on social media.

On air, Krasovsky said Ukrainian children "need to be drowned," and called on Russian forces to "shove them into their huts and burn them up."

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT, announced earlier on Twitter that the network would suspend work with Krasovsky following the social media uproar.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, called on countries to "ban RT worldwide" for "aggressive genocide incitement."

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, many Western countries have done exactly that.

New Ukrainian ambassador arrives in Berlin

Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev formally took up his post in Berlin, presenting his credentials to federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at his official Berlin residence, Bellevue Palace.

"Credentials presented!" Makeiev tweeted, editing his bio on the site to reflect that he was no longer the ambassador designate. 

In the guestbook of the president's residence, Makeiev reportedly wrote, "It is a great honour for me to be able to represent my Ukraine in Germany." 

Since 2020, Makeiev served as Ukraine's envoy for sanctions against Russia. He was appointed to the post last month by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to replace the controversial former ambassador, Andrij Melnyk, who was unusually critical of the host government.

ar/rt (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)