On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his French, American, British and Turkish counterparts about fears of the imminent use of a “dirty bomb” by the Ukrainians. On Monday, Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the US president, repeated the concern with his American counterpart. An accusation denied by the West.Our countries have made it clear that they refuse the chargesit is clearly a lie from Russia that Ukraine is going to use a dirty bomb on its territory.” The foreign ministers of France, Great Britain and America said in a joint statement. But what is a “dirty bomb”?
In a classic bomb, the explosive charge scatters metals to cause material or human damage. Sometimes called “poor man’s bomb“Because it is often rudimentary, a dirty bomb is also an explosive device that contains radioactive material that can contaminate the surrounding area. It must be distinguished from a biological bomb, which would release a virus designed to infect a target population, and a chemical bomb, which would contain a toxic product, such as gas, that is dispersed over an enemy at the time of attack. explosion.
dirty bombs”are prohibited by international lawOlivier Lepic, researcher and chemical and biological weapons specialist at the Foundation for Strategic Studies (FRS), explains:in the same way as any chemical, biological or radioactive weapon.“This concept arose in the context of conflicts.”with sub-state organizations such as terrorist organizations that have tried to communicate with them to instill panic among the civilian population– continues the researcher. “What is unique about the war in Ukraine is that we are talking about a dirty bomb in a conflict between two states“.
Rare use, real danger
Despite their simple theoretical principle, dirty bombs are rarely used because in reality their design can be complex. First of all, it is very difficult to control the spread of widespread harmful substances. During the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein threatened to use it against Israel. In 1995, 15 kilograms of radioactive material cesium 137 was found in a public park in Moscow, where the Chechens tried to use it. In 2016, jihadists, on the other hand, used a chemical weapon (which is not, strictly speaking, a dirty bomb) by sending “mustard gas” on Peshmerga fighters near Erbil in Iraqi Autonomous Kurdistan.
However, Western countries see dirty bombs as a real threat that they seek to protect against, especially in countries heavily affected by terrorism. France notably developed the Piratome program, the radiation and radioactive defense component of the Vigipirate program. It has four objectives.
- Dirty bomb detection;
- Protection of the population with means of restraint.
- Protection of workers with a special combination.
- Creating a disinfection chain.
A psychological weapon
Although the dirty bomb can deal significant damage, it is mostly used for this.the possibility of psychological damageOlivier Lepic analyzes. demoralize opposing troops, sway public opinion and, above all, terrorize the civilian population. It is from this point of view that the Russian claims should be understood without a doubt. “The thread is a little big, but it certainly tries to distract from Western opinions, when the Ukrainian army. leads his counterattack concludes Olivier Lepic.
Source: Le Figaro
