Updated April 13th, 2022 at 12:26 IST

Russia claims Ukraine may get nuclear material from a third country amid ongoing war

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov stated that the possibility of nuclear material coming to Ukraine from a third country cannot be ruled out.

Reported by: Anurag Roushan
Image: AP | Image:self
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Amid its war against Ukraine, Russia claimed that nuclear material from other countries could be brought to Ukraine. Speaking to RIA Novosti news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov stated that the possibility of nuclear material coming to Ukraine from a third country cannot be ruled out. He also warned that Ukrainian authorities are planning chemical provocations in the Donbass, and that a repeat of terrorist strikes against toxic-material-producing companies cannot be negated. Meanwhile, Russia has denied the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. 

Last week, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, rejected the possibility and stated that Moscow would resort to them only if the existence of the state comes under threat. During a UN Disarmament Commission meeting, Polyanskiy refuted all claims that Russia was mulling using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

"Russia firmly adheres to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed," added Polyanskiy, as per Sputnik. Earlier on February 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin had raised the worldwide alarm by placing the country's strategic nuclear forces on high alert. 

Russia claims it destroyed four S-300 launchers in Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russia has also claimed to have destroyed anti-aircraft missile systems supplied by a European country to Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry stated this without mentioning which nation provided the equipment. 

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov, Russian Kalibr missiles destroyed four S-300 launchers placed in a hangar on the outskirts of the central-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The Russian Defence Ministry has also claimed that its troops have targeted the missile defence systems in at least three different Ukrainian regions in recent days. 

Ukraine plotting provocations with the help of West: Russia

It is pertinent to mention here that Russia has also accused Ukraine of plotting provocations, including a massacre of civilians in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), with the help of the West, in order to shift the blame on the Russian armed forces.

Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, stated that Ukrainian authorities continue to plan barbaric and vicious acts in the Lugansk People's Republic, including mass killings of people, which they would subsequently blame on Russian forces and LPR troops. A provocation is also planned in the Ragovka settlement in the Kyiv region, according to Mizintsev.

(Image: AP)

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Published April 13th, 2022 at 12:26 IST