The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced Monday night that it has started inspections in Ukraine requested by that country after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused it of deleting evidence it was preparing to “dirty bomb”. to have.
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IAEA inspectors “have begun — and will soon complete — review the activities of two sites in Ukraine,” the Vienna-based UN agency said in a statement.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said he would present “his first conclusions on the verification activities of the two sites” later this week, the statement said.
The inspections follow a written request from the Ukrainian government to send IAEA teams to the site.
Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing to use dirty bombs against its troops, but Kyiv suspects Russia of wanting to use a dirty bomb itself and blaming it, perhaps to justify Moscow’s use of conventional nuclear weapons, whose troops are losing ground East and South Ukraine.
The agency said last week that it “inspected one of the two sites a month ago and found no unreported nuclear activity or materials there.”
A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb surrounded by radioactive, biological, or chemical materials released during the explosion.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the IAEA to inspect Ukrainian nuclear facilities “as soon as possible”.