Breaking news and news from Russia’s war in Ukraine on October 24

US official says alleged Russian fears of Ukraine using a dirty bomb are “clearly false” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appears on television in Moscow, Russia on September 21. (Photo: Press Service of the Russian Defense Ministry/AP) Russia’s Defense Minister accused the Ukrainians of planning the use of an alleged dirty bomb, a claim that was strongly refuted by US officials on Sunday as a Russian operation of false flag. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s accusation came during a phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, the second call in three days between the two top officials. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two discussed the situation in Ukraine, but gave no further details. It was Shoigu who initiated the phone call to Austin, according to a senior US administration official. A second official familiar with the conversation said Shoigu made the claim about the intended use of a dirty bomb, a weapon that combines conventional explosives and uranium. That claim, which the Kremlin has amplified in recent days, has been vigorously refuted by the US, Ukraine and the UK as a Russian false flag operation. Shoigu has also made similar comments to his French and British counterparts. “We reject reports of Minister Shoigu’s transparently false accusations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement to CNN. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.” The United States is also closely monitoring any information that Russia has a specific plan to blow up a major dam near Kherson, where Russia has ordered the evacuation of citizens, the official said. Joint statement: Later this Sunday, the US State Department issued a joint statement with the foreign ministers of France and the United Kingdom, also calling Shoigu’s accusations false and reiterating his unified support for the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine. On Friday, Austin called Shoigu, the first call between the two in several months. Before Friday, the two had not spoken since May. CNN’s Jonny Hallam and Kylie Atwood contributed reporting.