The French Ministry of Defense today rejected information released two days prior by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) regarding the possibility of London and Paris assisting Kyiv "in acquiring a nuclear bomb or at least a dirty bomb, to achieve better terms at peace negotiations."

Olivia Penichou, Director of Communications for the French Ministry of Defense, stated, "The SVR's baseless statement has been repeated by numerous Russian media outlets and some foreign news agencies. Russia regularly disseminates disinformation to create skepticism towards all actions by France and its partners aimed at supporting Ukraine. This report is a prime example."

Penichou affirmed that Paris consistently upholds its international commitments, especially those under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously stated that "blatant disinformation" from Russia was not worth responding to.

Ukrainian soldiers unload a shipment of US military aid at Boryspil airport on the outskirts of Kyiv in 1/2022. *Reuters*

In a report published on 24/2, the SVR outlined the possibility of Britain and France secretly transferring European components, equipment, and technology to Ukraine to develop nuclear capabilities. The report also suggested a media campaign would portray this as "domestic technology." The SVR further alleged that France might supply Ukraine with TN 75 nuclear warheads, typically used for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The agency also mentioned the risk of Ukraine being encouraged to produce "dirty bombs," defined as conventional explosive devices equipped with radioactive material to cause prolonged radioactive contamination.

Russian officials have, in recent days, expressed serious concern over the SVR's report. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that this was a "potentially very dangerous" issue, as the accusations relate to risks for the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, plans to organize a vote to adopt a resolution calling on British and French parliamentarians to investigate these allegations.

Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, stated that the SVR's allegations "completely alter the reality" of the Ukraine issue. He emphasized that a scenario where Paris or London assists Kyiv would be equivalent to "directly transferring nuclear weapons to a belligerent nation." He warned, "Should that happen, Russia would certainly have to use all types of weapons, including non-strategic nuclear weapons, against targets in Ukraine. Furthermore, if necessary, we could target those nations providing these capabilities to Ukraine, as they would have become involved in a nuclear conflict."

By Thanh Danh (According to RT, Reuters, AA)