Sharjah24 -AFP: On Tuesday, US Vice President Joe Biden issued a strong warning to Russia, stating that unleashing a nuclear weapon in the conflict with Ukraine would be a horrible mistake.
Asked by reporters whether he thinks Russia is preparing a "dirty bomb" attack that it would then blame on Ukraine, Biden said: "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon."
Russia has repeatedly warned that Ukraine could use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory.
This is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which get disseminated in an explosion.
As Moscow finds itself on the defensive in eastern and southern Ukraine, the US and its allies fear that Moscow may deploy a dirty bomb in a "false flag" strike to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons.
Biden stated: "I can't yet say with certainty that it's a false flag operation. We are unsure."
According to the Pentagon, Russia would suffer consequences if it used such a technology.
There would be consequences if Russia used nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb, spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder warned reporters without going into further detail.
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