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Biden Warns Russia Against ‘False Flag’ Nuclear Attack in Ukraine

President Joe Biden warned Russia against using a nuclear or radioactive weapon in Ukraine and said he’s been in discussions Tuesday about the possibility.

Biden Warns Russia Against ‘False Flag’ Nuclear Attack in Ukraine
Biden Warns Russia Against ‘False Flag’ Nuclear Attack in Ukraine

President Joe Biden warned Russia against using a nuclear or radioactive weapon in Ukraine and said he’s been in discussions Tuesday about the possibility. 

“I spent a lot of time today talking about that,” Biden told reporters after receiving a Covid-19 booster shot, his fifth dose of the vaccine. “Let me just say, Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon.”

Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu alleged to his US and European counterparts over the weekend that Kyiv might use a so-called “dirty bomb” in the war -- an explosive device combined with radioactive material. Alarmed US and European officials rejected the claim, saying it may indicate that the Kremlin is planning a so-called “false flag” operation in which its forces use such a weapon and try to blame it on Ukraine.

“I’m not guaranteeing you that it’s a false-flag operation yet, we don’t know,” Biden said. “But it would be a serious, serious mistake.”

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