Islam Times – Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service [SVR] has claimed that NATO countries, specifically France and the United Kingdom, are considering secretly transferring nuclear materials to Ukraine, either as components for assembly into a domestically “built” weapon or as a complete warhead, according to a statement released Tuesday.The SVR alleged that officials in London and Paris are exploring the covert delivery of European-made components, technologies, and equipment, while preparing an information campaign that would present Ukraine’s potential nuclear capability as indigenous. Another option reportedly under discussion is providing a French TN 75 nuclear warhead, used in France’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Additionally, the SVR suggested Ukraine could be encouraged to construct a “dirty bomb,” a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material to cause long-term contamination.
The agency claimed such measures could allow Kiev to gain leverage in ending hostilities, while Germany has reportedly declined to participate. The SVR further warned that responsibility for such an operation would rest on the involved NATO members, describing the plan as dangerously detached from reality.
The Russian State Duma plans to vote on a formal resolution urging lawmakers in the UK and France to investigate the allegations, according to Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the claims as “potentially very dangerous,” emphasizing the threat to nuclear non-proliferation.
Ukraine, which relinquished its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances, has argued that the guarantees were ineffective. While the country hosted a significant portion of Soviet nuclear forces, it never directly controlled the weapons. Former Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky hinted in 2022 that Kiev could reconsider its non-nuclear status amid escalating tensions with Russia.
Moscow contends that Ukraine violated its neutrality pledge after the 2014 Western-backed change in government, citing the country’s pursuit of NATO membership as evidence of a breach of post-Soviet commitments.