A close war over the key, the town of Kherson, prompted the Russian-installed government to order the evacuation of civilians.
The city is lately under Russian control, but Ukraine is expected to launch a first counteroffensive there in the coming days.
The Ukrainian military now reports that the Russian government is evacuating banks, administrative buildings and Kherson’s emergency worker corps.
Citizen theft and looting increased, and devices used through web service providers were stolen, Ukraine said.
Sky News determines this independently.
Kherson remains Russia’s anchor on the western bank of the Dnipro River, and is a gateway to annexed Crimea.
The head of the Ukrainian army’s spies, Kyrylo Budanov, said Russian forces were preparing to protect the city and withdraw.
“They create the ghost that all is lost. However, at the same time they are moving new army sets and to protect the streets of Kherson,” he told online media outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
Yesterday, the Russian-installed government encouraged the townsmen to enlist in a local militia.
As we discussed in our previous article, Russia claimed that Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb”; however, the U. S. The U. S. believes this may be a sign that Moscow is contemplating such a weapon.
For context, a filthy bomb is an explosive device containing radioactive material.
U. S. officials said they had not noticed any indication that Moscow had made a resolution to use a dirty bomb or a nuclear weapon.
As we reported yesterday, Russia again claimed that Ukraine could simply use a “dirty bomb,” a bomb containing radioactive material.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu raised the factor in calls with his French, British and American counterparts, but it was firmly rejected in a joint statement later, with the U. S. warning. UU. de that Moscow could plan a false flag operation.
Russia has now signaled that it will present its demands to the UN Security Council at its assembly today.
Western analysts have said there would be no explanation as to why Ukraine uses a dirty bomb opposed to itself and that Russia’s claims are likely part of a disinformation crusade aimed at deterring NATO members from offering more to Ukraine.
Kyiv said the claims are a sign that Moscow itself is such an attack.
We will bring you all the latest news about the war in Ukraine, after Russia doubled down on its claims that Kyiv is preparing to use a “dirty bomb,” an explosive containing radioactive materials.
The claims were first made through Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in calls to Western leaders, and then repeated through Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia.
The West has dismissed such claims as false and as a disinformation campaign, and the U. S. has dismissed those claims as false. The US in particular has warned of “serious consequences” for Russia if it tries to use a “dirty bomb” on its own.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to evacuate its citizens from the city of Kherson, which is in the midst of a fierce battle.
The Russian government encouraged the men of the city to form a militia.
Even so, Western analysts will likely face Russia’s defeat at Kherson.
That’s all for the blog Sky News Ukraine for today, we will be back tomorrow with more facts about the conflict.
Here is a summary of some of the key developments noted today:
– Russia accused Ukraine of a “dirty bomb” attack on its own territory
These accusations were rejected through the West and “nuclear blackmail” through Ukraine.
– A grimy bomb is a traditional explosive device containing radioactive material
– There is a hypothesis that Russia may simply blow up the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam
– A Russia Today presenter has been suspended after claiming that young critics of Russia have been “thrown directly into a river with a strong current”
By Jack Taylor, manufacturer of Sky News OSINT
Today, Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a submission to back up claims that Ukraine could simply use a “dirty bomb” in the war; However, some of the photographs used are fake or out of context.
One claim was that the provocation around a “dirty bomb” was intended to sow panic in Ukraine and increase the number of refugees across Europe.
A search for the opposite symbol of this photo shows that it was taken on September 11, 2001 in New York City.
Another claim is made that the West is false information to galvanize Russia and justify the action of the army.
They claim this was done before the Syrian civil war.
This photo, included via the Russian MOD in today’s presentation, was also used in Russia in 2018. They claim it shows the White Helmets creating propaganda films about fake attacks on civilians in Syria.
This claim has already been debunked. The photograph is a behind-the-scenes shoot of the film Revolution Man, a 2018 film against the White Helmets made through a Syrian film company.
Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat and the user who debunked the photographs in 2018, pointed this out in a Twitter thread.
Another photo accompanying the claim that Ukraine is manufacturing a grimy bomb posted online as early as 2016.
Russian occupiers continue to put pressure on the body of workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), according to the Ukrainian military.
It accuses Moscow of forcing a “contract” with Rosatom, a Russian state-owned nuclear energy company.
The General Staff also added that the invaders “forbade the workers of the plant to leave the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. “
The UK’s highest-ranking military leader held a call with his Russian counterpart, Army General Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov, this afternoon.
This comes amid repeated Russian claims, without evidence, that Ukraine is a “dirty bomb” attack.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine was making plans to escalate the conflict and reaffirmed the UK’s perseverance for Ukraine.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman added: “Army leaders agreed on the importance of keeping communication channels open between the UK and Russia to manage the threat of miscalculation and facilitate de-escalation.
“The verbal exchange followed the defense secretary’s call with his Russian counterpart and a call between the foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom and the United States last night. “
The call at the request of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Two other Russians suspected of taking photographs of a limited military installation in northern Norway have been arrested, police said.
Prosecutor Steffen Ravnasen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the Russian citizens, a man and a woguy in their thirties, were arrested Saturday near Bjerkvik, which houses a military installation and a barracks of the Norwegian armed forces.
In recent weeks, several Russian citizens have been detained in Norway, adding 4 Russian citizens, 3 men and one, who have been seen taking photographs in central Norway of items covered by a photography ban. They have since been released.
Russia’s claims that Ukraine may also detonate a “dirty bomb” on its own territory have fueled the hypothesis that Moscow may possibly be planning a false flag attack.
As his forces face an imaginable defeat on the battlefield and Ukrainian troops approach the key town of Kherson, senior Russian officials have leveled far-wary charges against Kyiv.
What are dirty bombs and how harmful are they?Is all this a canopy for Russia’s plans to destroy the Nova Kakhovka dam and buy time for its retreating soldiers?
Foreign Sky News journalist Michael Drummond on some of the key questions: