Moscow Claims NATO Nuke Smuggling Plot Into Ukraine - UK Denounces 'Heinous' Charge
It's hard to know what's true amid the fog of war, but when Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) comes out with whatever new accusation it lodges against Ukraine it usually 'goes big'.
That's true of the latest statement Tuesday, which happens to mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Ukraine invasion of 2022. The SVR is newly alleging that France and the UK are plotting to secretly arm Ukraine with a nuclear weapon.
According to the agency, British and French officials are considering the "covert transfer of relevant European-made components, equipment, and technologies to Ukraine" - and are in parallel laying the groundwork for an information campaign that would misrepresent the nuclear capacity as domestically developed.
Russian sources and state media strongly suggest their belief that this is still just in planning stages, and that several options are being considered, including that Ukraine could be provided with a French TN 75 warhead, currently in the the French Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
There's also the option of Western assistance to help Kiev build a 'dirty bomb' - which has long been a feared weapon in the context of the grinding Ukraine conflict, given it spreads radioactive material far and wide, among urban areas.
TASS and others have cited the SVR in framing this as an act of desperation given Ukrainian forces are being rolled back piecemeal on the battlefield:
According to its information, the British and French elites are unwilling to accept defeat. "It is believed that Ukraine should be supplied with a ‘Wunderwaffe’ (German for ‘miracle weapon’ - TASS). Kiev would be able to aspire to more advantageous terms of ceasing the hostilities if it possesses a nuclear or at least a so-called ‘dirty’ bomb," the statement said.
The suggestion is that the Western allies supporting Ukraine would do anything rather than admit defeat, even the unthinkable.
Here's more from an official state media translation from the SVR's media office:
"At present, according to the information available to the Russian SVR, London and Paris are actively working over the issue of providing Kiev with a weapon of this kind, as well as with means of its delivery. This involves a covert transfer of relevant European-made components, equipment and technologies to Ukraine. As an option, the French small-size TN-75 warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile is being considered," the press bureau pointed out. At the same time, "Berlin has prudently refused to take part in this dangerous venture."
According to the Foreign Intelligence Service, the British and the French realize that their plot is "a gross violation of the international law, first of all the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and carries the risk of destroying the global non-proliferation system." "Consequently, the Westerners’ main efforts are focused on making Kiev’s possession of nuclear weapon look like it was developed by the Ukrainians themselves," the statement said. "Great Britain and France are aware that the situation developing in Ukraine leaves no chances for them to achieve the ardently desired victory over Russia with the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces," the SVR noted.
The statement concludes by an allegation that NATO countries are "losing touch with reality" their reckless efforts to impose defeat on Russia in Ukraine, and so are willing to seriously contemplate a 'dirty bomb' - as losses mount.
The Kremlin has meanwhile not been forthcoming with any specific evidence, and the SVR has not revealed the types of sourcing underlying its serious allegations.
That's it. For the first time since 1972, Russia (the former USSR) and the US have no treaty limiting strategic nuclear forces. SALT 1, SALT 2, START I, START II, SORT, New START – all in the past. pic.twitter.com/D3TBZM9ffC
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) February 4, 2026
But according to RIA, the Russian government is taking all of this seriously enough for Putin's office to say it plans to inform the United States about these potential nuclear aspirations of Ukraine and its European backers.
Downing Street has so far been among the first to dismiss the allegation, with the UK Prime Minister's official spokesman saying: "This is a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to distract from his heinous actions in Ukraine" and that "there is no truth to this."
