Threat of Ukrainian 'dirty bomb' still exists, warns Russia

There is still a threat that Ukraine could develop a "dirty bomb," Russia's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday, referring to a conventional bomb laced with nuclear material.

Ukraine has developed its nuclear capabilities since the Soviet era, having inherited a lot of information and technology in the area, Mikhail Ulyanov said in a video news conference.

He said IAEA officials have admitted that there are about 5,000 facilities in Ukraine that could be used to create such a bomb in Ukraine.

On the IAEA inspections in Ukraine, Ulyanov said its officials spent a paltry eight or nine hours at each site, emphasizing that even a week would have been insufficient for a through inspection.

He said inspectors found no traces or evidence of undeclared nuclear activity or diversion of nuclear material, but emphasized that "this is only a part of the process."

"In addition to visual inspection, a key part of the process is sampling and analyses. Samples were taken and sent to certified laboratories in several countries, but the results are still unknown," he said.

"This process is quite long, maybe a month or two, or maybe next week. Until we have the results, it is premature to say that nothing has been found."

He also pointed out that the IAEA only deals with nuclear materials such as uranium, plutonium, and thorium, but other radioactive elements as cobalt and cesium are out of its ambit.

Russia first raised an alarm over the issue in October, warning Western countries of a supposed plot by Ukraine to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and then blame Moscow.

The Western countries rejected the claims, suggesting they may be meant to lay the groundwork for a Russian ruse along these lines.