US installing sensors in Ukraine to detect nuclear explosions: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Apr 2023 21:19
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Sensors will have the ability to locate radiation from a dirty bomb and a nuclear weapon activated in Ukraine, per the NYT report.

Members of the State Emergency Service prepare for nuclear disaster response drills during the shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant on August 17, 2022 (Reuters)

According to a New York Times report on Friday, a network of sensors is being installed by the US across Ukraine with the capability to detect a potential nuclear explosion and radiation in an attempt to "identify perpetrators. "

They will also have the ability to locate radiation from a dirty bomb and a nuclear weapon activated in Ukraine, and the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) states that they were being deployed "throughout the region" and are able "to characterize the size, location, and effects of any nuclear explosion."

NEST believes, per the report, that Russia would be allegedly denied the chance to deploy nuclear weapons in Ukraine without attribution, and the sensors are meant to deter since they would make Russian decision-makers aware that the US can expose nuclear weapon activity as a false-flag operation.

Moscow has been accusing Ukraine of preparing to use dirty bombs on Ukrainian soil to blame Russia, while Kiev claims that Russia itself might use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack to blame Russian Forces for allegedly killing civilians, who are considered noncombatants protected under International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

"If a nuclear emergency were to occur in Ukraine, whether a radiation release from a nuclear reactor or a nuclear weapon detonation," the statement said, adding: "Scientific analyses would be rapidly provided to US government authorities and decision-making centers in Ukraine and the region to make actionable, technically informed decisions to protect public health and safety."

This comes after US National Nuclear Security Administration chief Jill Hruby confirmed this week during congressional testimony that alongside the National Security Agency (NSA), her agency has planted sensors to begin detection, and people in Ukraine are already being trained on how to respond in case of a nuclear blast.

On matters pertaining to US military inspections of Russia's nuclear facilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February that he could never imagine this happening in real life, and that NATO members are all accomplices in supporting Ukraine's crimes, which include the shelling of civilian residences in the Donbass.

"When they are doing so in Ukraine, I just can't imagine American servicemen hanging out at our nuclear facilities. It's just ridiculous," Putin said.