The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it has found no evidence that Ukraine is building a “dirty bomb”. This was the result of an inspection of three sites in Ukraine, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said today.
“Our previous technical and scientific evaluation of the results showed no evidence of undeclared nuclear activities and material at these three sites.”
The investigation was prompted by Russian allegations that Kyiv allegedly wanted to use a “dirty bomb”. Kyiv has firmly denied the allegations and asked for an IAEA mission. Such a bomb consists of radioactive material released with conventional explosives. Unlike an atomic bomb, there is no nuclear chain reaction.
IAEA experts were able to carry out all planned activities and had unrestricted access in recent days, the organization said. According to the information, inspectors also collected environmental samples. This sampling is a commonly used safety measure through ultra-sensitive analytical techniques that can provide information on past and current activities related to nuclear materials. According to Grossi, the results of the environmental samples will be released as soon as possible.