The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday said that it had inspected three Ukrainian facilities and discovered no evidence of undeclared nuclear activity, according to a new Axios report.

The confirmation by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog essentially debunked claims Russian officials made last week that Ukraine was using the sites to prepare and later detonate a “dirty bomb” in an attempt to frame Moscow—an allegation dismissed by both Ukraine and Western defense chiefs.

Top diplomats of the United States, Britain, and France also issued a rare joint statement contending that the Kremlin could be using the false claim as a pretext to escalate its war on Ukraine.

A “dirty bomb” can be broadly defined as a conventional explosive with added radiological material, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. It can produce widespread radioactive contamination but isn’t considered the same as traditional nuclear weapons.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that the agency would release the results of the gathered environmental samples “as soon as possible.”

“Upon the request of the Government of Ukraine, I immediately dispatched inspectors to the three locations to carry out their indispensable technical and independent role in verifying the facts on the ground. Within days, they went there and conducted their safeguards activities, in challenging circumstances during the current conflict in Ukraine,” Grossi said in a statement after the agency’s inspection.

“Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, in a pivot from Russian president Vladimir Putin’s fiery comments in recent weeks, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said that avoiding a nuclear clash between the world’s nuclear powers is its top priority.  

In a statement, the ministry said that it feared the five declared nuclear powers were teetering “on the brink of a direct armed conflict” and that the West needs to immediately stop “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences.”

“We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers,” the statement continued, adding that a nuclear war “cannot be won and must never be fought.”

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters