Russian intelligence suspects Ukrainian authorities are making a dangerous "radiation bomb."
He explained that a report - issued by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service - indicates that Kiev is trying to obtain ammunition of explosives and radioactive materials, the explosion of which leads to radioactive contamination covering large areas.
The Russian website said that the intelligence service sees the Ukrainian authorities' recent transfer of quantities of radioactive fuel from the Rivny nuclear power plant, which is located in the west of the country and contains a large amount of highly radioactive material, to the Chernobyl plant, an indication that they are working on a radioactive bomb.
He quoted a statement by the head of the foreign intelligence service, Sergey Naryshkin, in which he said that the radioactive fuel was delivered to the site of the Central Storage Facility for spent nuclear fuel in Chernobyl in two special shipping containers based on the decision of the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine.
Naryshkin warned that the repercussions of manufacturing a "radiation bomb" would be dire for life and the ecosystem in all of Eastern Europe, noting that the Ukrainian side did not inform the IAEA of its actions, which the agency later denied.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) denied allegations by Russian intelligence that the agency was not aware of Kiev's decision to send a shipment of radioactive nuclear fuel to the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
The IAEA confirmed it had tracked the shipment from its departure from the Rivne nuclear power plant until it arrived at the Chernobyl plant. However, Russia still suspects Ukrainian authorities of building a "radiological bomb," the newspaper reported.
Can Kiev make a radioactive bomb?
Alexei Anbilugov, a nuclear energy expert, said: "It is difficult for Ukraine to produce a nuclear bomb because it lacks a good production reactor. Specialized reactors provide the production of weapons-grade plutonium necessary for the simplest nuclear bomb."
"Ukraine has only one such reactor in Kiev that dates back to 1970. In principle, small amounts of uranium could be used and irradiated there to obtain weapons-grade plutonium."
The smallest atomic bomb would require tens of kilograms of plutonium, the report said. Anbelugov said the IAEA believed the reactor was unusable and Ukraine had not declared its use.
News Re quoted the head of the foreign intelligence service as saying that a radioactive nuclear bomb can be manufactured from highly radioactive nuclear waste, unlike nuclear warheads.
Ukraine has 4 major nuclear plants in several parts of the country with 15 active nuclear reactors. Ukraine's energy sector ranks 12th in the world in terms of capacity.
Ukraine has enough material to make a radioactive bomb at 3 of its still functioning nuclear power plants and at radioactive waste disposal sites at Chernobyl.
At the end of its report, the Russian website highlighted that experts believe that Ukraine does not currently have the ability to build a complete nuclear bomb, but it is capable of making a "radiation bomb" with limited effect and less dangerous than conventional nuclear weapons, whose impact range may not exceed one kilometer and whose radiological impact does not last long.
In October 2022, Russia accused Ukraine of embarking on a plan to use a "dirty bomb," an accusation that Kiev and its Western allies have rejected, saying it is just a pretext for escalation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time that Ukraine had already begun implementing a plan to use a "dirty bomb" and demanded that Kiev and its Western allies desist from steps that could lead the world to a "nuclear catastrophe".