Russian officials claim that Ukraine is about to use a dirty bomb in its war with Russia.
But Ukraine and the West say it might actually be a ploy by the Russians to set off their own dirty bomb and then blame Ukraine, giving Vladimir Putin cover to retaliate with nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, President Biden issued a stark warning.
"Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it were to use a tactical nuclear weapon," the president said. "I'm not guaranteeing you that it's a false flag operation, yet. Don't know. But it would be a serious, serious mistake."
A dirty bomb uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror.
The Pentagon along with other countries, including Britain and France, strongly refute Russia's claims.
"I think that the U.S. government writ large has communicated to Russia the concerns that we have with the language that we've seen, the nuclear saber rattling, as well as condemning these false allegations that Ukraine is building a dirty bomb," said Pentagon Spokesman, Brig. General Pat Ryder.
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have performed secret work at a nuclear plant they seized near Zaporizhzhia and are preparing "a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste" stored there.
Unable to confirm the allegations, the U.S. is keeping an eye on the situation.
"We have not seen at this time, though, any indication that Russia has made a decision or intends to employ nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb," said Ryder. "But again, it's something that we'll continue to watch closely."
Meanwhile, a group of progressive Democrats has retracted a letter they sent to the White House urging President Biden to engage in peace negotiations with Russia.
The letter, which was written in June but made public Monday, sparked a major uproar and exposed rifts within the Democratic Party just days before the midterm elections where Democrats may lose control of the House.
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