The Kremlin has labeled the United Kingdom and France as “out of touch” and “mad,” alleging that Western nations have devised a covert plan to send nuclear weapons to Ukraine.
Kiev, along with Paris and London, has dismissed these unfounded assertions from Russia about being part of a scheme to smuggle nuclear weapon components into Ukraine, supposedly to give the nation an advantage in peace talks. This claim, which was accompanied by alarming rhetoric about possible massive nuclear retaliation from the outspoken Dmitry Medvedev, surfaced on Tuesday—exactly four years after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The response from the French government was tinged with cynicism, as an official remarked, “As Russia embarks on the fifth year of what it calls a Three Day War, it issues warnings about the perils of French and British nuclear arms.” In contrast, Britain’s reaction was straightforward, categorically rejecting Moscow’s assertions. A spokesperson from Downing Street stated: “This is a blatant attempt by President Vladimir Putin to divert attention from his appalling actions in Ukraine. There’s simply no truth to this.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry criticized Russia’s nuclear claims, framing them as part of a history of “lies” from the Kremlin, and referred to allegations that Ukraine planned to unleash a “dirty bomb” in Eastern Europe as absurd. They emphasized, “Ukraine has repeatedly denied these ridiculous Russian allegations, and we reiterate that now. We urge the international community to reject and denounce Russia’s misinformation campaign.”
The claims originated from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), which borrowed terminology from World War II by suggesting that Ukraine was attempting to develop a “Wonderwaffe”—a term that refers to a “miracle weapon” the Nazis hoped would allow them to triumph over a larger enemy through superior technology. The SVR further alleged that London and Paris were actively engaged in providing Ukraine with a type of “dirty bomb” utilizing nuclear or radioactive materials, claiming that they were secretly transferring relevant parts, equipment, and technology to Kyiv.
Specifically, Moscow pointed to a French TN-75 warhead as the bomb in question. By naming this weapon, Russia skillfully avoided directly implicating U.S. President Donald Trump, since this warhead is one of the few in the Western arsenal not of American origin.
The Russian government accused France and Britain of attempting to disguise their alleged actions to make it seem as though Ukraine was capable of producing nuclear weapons independently. The SVR argued this represented a grave breach of international law, particularly the Non-Proliferation Treaty, threatening to undermine the global non-proliferation framework, and conveyed that “they have lost touch with reality.”
In the aftermath of these claims, Russia issued stark warnings of potential retaliation over what it alleged were actions by Britain and France. Russian President Vladimir Putin ominously suggested that the West “understands how a nuclear attack on Russia would conclude,” while former President Dmitry Medvedev was more explicit in his threats.
Medvedev, notorious for previously threatening to eradicate various Western nations with nuclear strikes as retaliation for perceived foreign interference in Russia’s actions in Ukraine, reiterated such threats. He accepted the SVR’s claims as factual, stating they “fundamentally alter the situation,” and declared that if Ukraine were to acquire nuclear weapons, Russia would retaliate against Ukraine and any “accomplices” with “non-strategic nuclear weapons.”
He called this response “proportional” and claimed it was within Russia’s rights. Additionally, the Russian Federation requested that the United Nations investigate whether Britain and France were indeed attempting to provide nuclear weapons to Ukraine.
