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Russian Gov Caught Fabricating Dirty Bomb Evidence!

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The Russian government was just caught red-handed fabricating evidence that Ukraine was preparing a dirty bomb!

Take a look at their claims, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Russian Gov : Ukraine Is Creating A Dirty Bomb!

The Russian government has recently been promoting the claim that Ukraine is creating a dirty bomb.

On Sunday, October 23, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his counterparts in the US, Britain, France and Turkey that Ukraine was preparing to use a dirty bomb.

He then repeated his claim in a phone call with the Indian defence minister on Wednesday, October 26.

To convince the world of that dastardly plot, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA Russia) shared “evidence” on October 24 that Ukraine has “directly ordered” two organisations to create a dirty bomb!

💬 Russian Defence Ministry: According to the information at hand, two organisations of Ukraine have been ❗ directly ordered to create the so-called #dirtybomb.

☢️ The works are at their concluding stage.

Note : We added a Misleading overlay to avoid these photos from being further misused.

 

Russian Gov Caught Fabricating Dirty Bomb Evidence!

The Russian government has done nothing but lie and lie, from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this is no different.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Russian government.

Fact #1 : Radioactive Waste Photo Was From Slovenia In 2010

The Slovenian government came out to publicly call out the Russian government in fabricating their evidence of a Ukrainian dirty bomb.

It identified this photo as a Slovenian Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ARAO) photo from 2010, that had been “misused and used without the knowledge of ARAO”.

The objects are simply smoke detectors placed inside plastic bags labelled Radioaktivno, which is radioactive in Slovenian. For context, radioactive in Ukrainian is Радіоактивний (Radioaktyvnyy).

The photo was created by ARAO and used as a “stock image” for their presentations and does not actually contain any radioactive materials.

Since its 2010 release, this ARAO stock image has been used in a 2014 presentation by the Center for Eco-Toxicological Research in Montenegro, and a 2016 story about Mexican authorities finding a stolen truck with radioactive materials.

Fact #2 : Dirty Bomb Design Was From 2016

The schematic of what Russian military intelligence claimed was a Ukrainian dirty bomb was actually expropriated from a Radiology Key article that posted it on 1 June 2016.

This is simply a stock diagram to explain how a dirty bomb – also known as a radioactive dispersal device (RDD), works.

It also skews more towards the terrorism aspect, hence the use of fertiliser, a metal drum and a time fuse. Military forces would not resort to such ad hoc designs.

Honestly, it looks less like actual “military intelligence” and more like whoever came up with this just did an image search for “radioactive dispersal device” and voila!

Fact #3 : Scientific Research Reactors Are In Russia

The scientific research reactors that the Russian government identified as sources for the Ukrainian dirty bomb are both located in Russia.

As Benjamin Strick, Director of Investigations for the Centre for Information Resilience pointed out:

  • the photo on the left is from the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station in the Sverdlovsk Oblast in Russia
  • the photo on the right is a flipped screenshot of the Novosibirsk Scientific and Industrial Complex, also in Russia.

If Russia wants to create a dirty bomb, it would possibly need help from both facilities, but certainly not the Ukrainians.

Fact #4 : Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Is Under Russian Control

The top left photo shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was captured by Russia on 4 March 2022.

On 12 March 2022, it was placed under control of the Russian state nuclear power company, Rosatom. While the Zaporizhzhia NPP continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff, it has been under Russian control since March 2022.

Therefore, it would be absurd to claim that the Ukrainians would use nuclear material from this power plant to create a dirty bomb.

Fact #5 : Detonating A Dirty Bomb Would Contaminate Ukraine For Years

Russian claims that the Ukrainians would detonate a dirty bomb on their own land are ludicrous, because:

a) The Ukrainians are winning

Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south and east are working – they are winning back land previously occupied by Russian forces.

It would not make sense to detonate a dirty bomb, which would contaminate the land and stymie their counteroffensives.

b) The lands would be contaminated for years, if not longer

Dirty bombs are nothing more than conventional bombs paired with radioactive materials. When they explode, they disperse and contaminate the surrounding area with the radioactive material.

Detonating one in Ukraine would contaminate their own lands for many years, even decades. Why on Earth would they do that?

Ukraine is keenly aware of the dangers of radioactivity, having bore the brunt of Soviet incompetence during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident that resulted in 2,600 km2 of Ukrainian land uninhabitable for the next 300 years or more.

Fact #6 : This Is Just Russian Propaganda

This is just another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual.

Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:

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WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

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The WHO has convened an emergency meeting on the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to 56 countries!

Here is what you need to know…

 

WHO Convenes Emergency Meeting On Monkeypox Outbreak!

On 23 June 2022, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an emergency committee meeting under Article 48 of the International Health Regulations to discuss the current monkeypox outbreak.

Chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele and Dr. Nicola Low, this emergency WHO meeting on monkeypox is only open to members and advisors of the Emergency Committee.

The findings of this emergency meeting would be conveyed to the Director-General of WHO, on whether the outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern, and also on potential recommendations on how to address it.

This meeting comes as an NGO called World Health Network (unrelated to WHO) issued a press release describing the current monkeypox outbreak as a “pandemic”, urging “immediate and effective action” from country and global health authorities.

This led to a bit of confusion, as their names and acronyms were similar (WHO vs WHN). To be clear, WHO has not declared a monkeypox pandemic.

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

 

Over 4,000 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 56 Countries!

Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.

Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..

However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 56 countries outside of endemic African countries, with over 4,000 cases!

Country Confirmed
Cases		 Suspected
Cases 		Total
Spain 918 100 1,018
United Kingdom 793 – 793
Germany 676 – 676
France 330 – 330
Portugal 328 – 328
Canada 223 45 268
United States 173 – 173
Netherlands 167 – 167
Italy 85 – 85
Belgium 77 1 78
Switzerland 52 – 52
Ireland 28 – 28
Ghana 18 – 18
Brazil 11 6 17
Israel 16 – 16
Australia 13 – 13
Denmark 13 – 13
Sweden 13 – 13
UAE 13 – 13
Austria 12 – 12
Poland 12 – 12
Mexico 9 – 9
Slovenia 9 – 9
Hungary 7 – 7
Czech Republic 6 – 6
Uganda – 6 6
Romania 5 – 5
Argentina 4 – 4
Finland 4 – 4
Malta 4 – 4
Norway 4 – 4
Somalia – 4 4
Chile 3 – 3
Colombia 3 – 3
Greece 3 – 3
Iceland 3 – 3
Bulgaria 2 – 2
Latvia 2 – 2
Morocco 1 1 2
Bahamas – 1 1
Cayman Islands – 1 1
Fiji – 1 1
Georgia 1 – 1
Gibraltar 1 – 1
Haiti – 1 1
Libya – 1 1
Lebanon 1 – 1
Luxembourg 1 – 1
Serbia 1 – 1
Singapore 1 – 1
South Africa 1 – 1
South Korea 1 – 1
Uruguay – 1 1
Venezuela 1 – 1
Zambia – 1 1
TOTAL 4,049 170 4,219

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Over 560 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 25 Countries!

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Over 560 monkeypox cases have now been confirmed in at least 25 countries outside of Africa!

Find out if the monkeypox outbreak could become a new pandemic we have to worry about!

 

Over 560 Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In 25 Countries!

People are now worried about the rapid spread of monkeypox globally. although the WHO has said that it is unlikely to become a pandemic like COVID-19.

Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.

Monkeypox became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014, and several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019)..

However, nothing has come close to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak which has now affected at least 25 countries outside of Africa, with over 560 cases!

Country Confirmed
Cases		 Suspected
Cases 		Total
United Kingdom 179 – 179
Spain 120 – 120
Portugal 96 – 96
Canada 26 37 63
Germany 33 – 33
Netherlands 26 – 26
France 17 – 17
United States 15 – 15
Italy 14 – 14
Belgium 9 – 9
Czech Republic 5 – 5
Switzerland 4 – 4
UAE 4 – 4
Sweden 3 – 3
Ireland 2 1 3
Argentina 2 – 2
Australia 2 – 2
Denmark 2 – 2
Israel 2 – 2
Slovenia 2 – 2
Austria 1 – 1
Finland 1 – 1
Malta 1 – 1
Mexico 1 – 1
Thailand 1 – 1
TOTAL 568 56 617

 

Monkeypox Cases May Increase, But Unlikely To Become Pandemic

On 30 May 2022, the World Health Organisation’s top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, gave a public briefing on the 2022 monkeypox outbreak.

Here is a summary of the key points Dr. Lewis shared in that public session :

  • She does not expect the monkeypox outbreak to turn into another pandemic like COVID-19.
  • There are still many unknowns about this outbreak, including how exactly it is spreading.
  • The suspension of mass smallpox immunisation decades ago may have resulted in increased transmission.
  • Vast majority of current cases seen in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.
  • There is a higher proportion of people with fewer visible lesions that are more concentrated in the genital region, and sometimes nearly impossible to see. This is a danger because they are infectious even though their lesions are not visible.
  • There is a window of opportunity to shut down the outbreak so it does not become endemic in new areas.

Fortunately, the 2022 monkeypox outbreak appears to be of the less virulent West African strain, because there is no proven treatment.

The smallpox vaccine can offer up to 85% protection against monkeypox, and certain antiviral treatments can be attempted.

But otherwise – hospitals can only offer supportive treatment as the patient isolates for 2-4 weeks until the disease resolves.

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

Monkeypox primarily spreads through close contact, but can spread through respiratory droplets. However, it is far less contagious and is not airborne like COVID-19.

Infected people are also not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms, which limits transmission. This is unlike COVID-19 which is often spread by people who are asymptomatic.

The best way to describe its ability to infect people would be to understand its R0 (Reproduction Number, pronounced as R naught) – how many people an infected person is expected to pass the disease along to.

The ancestral COVID-19 virus has an R0 of between 2 to 3, which increased to 8 with the Omicron variant. That’s really contagious – every infected person will (on average) transmit the virus to 8 other people.

On the other hand, past outbreaks of monkeypox had an R0 of less than one. That means even though there may be clusters of several cases, even outbreaks, the cases die out on their own.

Virus R0
Measles 12 to 18
Omicron COVID-19 8
Smallpox 5 to 7
Ancestral COVID-19 2 to 3
H1N1 (2009) 1.5 to 2.5
Monkeypox <1

Monkeypox fortunately does not spread very efficiently between humans. Generally, you need to have skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, or come into contact with his/her bodily fluids, to get infected.

The people most at risk would be close contacts of the infected person, like family members or healthcare workers taking care of them.

Transmission is really happening from close physical contact, skin-to-skin contact. It’s quite different from COVID in that sense.
– Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

It’s not as highly transmissible as something like smallpox, or measles, or certainly not Covid. It does not spread easily from person to person, the risk to the general public is low.
– Anne Rimoin, infectious disease epidemiologist at University of California.

That is why it is very unlikely to become a pandemic, although if it spreads to susceptible rodent populations, it could become endemic in those areas.

There is also the fact that the monkeypox is so closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine offers 85% protection against monkeypox infections.

In fact, one smallpox vaccine – JYNNEOS – was approved in the United States to serve as protection against monkeypox. Even though there is no public access to this vaccine, that can quickly change.

Several countries, including the United States, have strategic reserves of smallpox vaccines, which can be deployed in a monkeypox outbreak.

Countries have also started purchasing smallpox vaccines :

  • 19 May 2022 : Spain’s Ministry of Health announced that it was in the process of purchasing thousands of doses of smallpox vaccines
  • 24 May 2022 : CDC announced that the US is in the process of releasing some JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine doses for people who are “high risk”.
  • 25 May 2022 : the German government announced that it was buying 40,000 doses of the JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic.
  • 26 May 2022 : the UK Health Security Agency announced that it purchased 20,000 doses of the JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic.

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Monkeypox Outbreak In 20 Countries : Is It A New Pandemic?

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The Monkeypox outbreak has been confirmed in at least 20 countries outside of Africa!

Find out what Monkeypox is all about, and whether it is a new pandemic we have to worry about!

 

Monkeypox Outbreak : Is It A Pandemic Risk?

People are now worried about the rapid spread of monkeypox globally.

Discovered in 1958, the first human infection was only reported in 1970, and there were only like 400 cases from 1970 to 1986.

However, it became more common over time, with 2000 cases per year reported between 2011 and 2014.

There were also several outbreaks in the US (2003 and 2021), UK (2018 and 2021), and Singapore (2019), but nothing matched the latest 2022 outbreak.

As of 25 May 2022, there were 230 confirmed cases in at least 20 countries outside of Africa, and suspected cases in two other countries.

Country Confirmed
Cases		 Suspected
Cases 		Total
Argentina – 1 1
Australia 2 – 2
Austria 1 – 1
Belgium 6 1 7
Canada 15 1 16
Czech Republic 1 – 1
Denmark 2 – 2
Finland 1 – 1
France 5 – 5
Germany 5 – 5
Israel 1 – 1
Italy 6 2 8
Morocco – 3 3
Netherlands 6 – 6
Portugal 49 – 49
Slovenia 1 – 1
Spain 51 43 94
Sweden 1 – 1
Switzerland 2 – 2
UAE 1 – 1
United Kingdom 71 – 71
United States 2 6 8
TOTAL 230 56 286

 

Monkeypox Outbreak : More Deadly, Unlikely To Cause A Pandemic

Monkeypox is more deadly than COVID-19, with mortality as high as 10% depending on the strain :

  • West African strain : 1% to 3%
  • Central African strain : 10%

Fortunately, the 2022 monkeypox outbreak appears to be of the less virulent West African strain, because there is no proven treatment.

The smallpox vaccine can offer up to 85% protection against monkeypox, and certain antiviral treatments can be attempted.

But otherwise – hospitals can only offer supportive treatment as the patient isolates for 2-4 weeks until the disease resolves.

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

Monkeypox primarily spreads through close contact, but can spread through respiratory droplets. However, it is far less contagious and is not airborne like COVID-19.

Infected people are also not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms, which limits transmission. This is unlike COVID-19 which is often spread by people who are asymptomatic.

The best way to describe its ability to infect people would be to understand its R0 (Reproduction Number, pronounced as R naught) – how many people an infected person is expected to pass the disease along to.

The ancestral COVID-19 virus has an R0 of between 2 to 3, which increased to 8 with the Omicron variant. That’s really contagious – every infected person will (on average) transmit the virus to 8 other people.

On the other hand, past outbreaks of monkeypox had an R0 of less than one. That means even though there may be clusters of several cases, even outbreaks, the cases die out on their own.

Virus R0
Measles 12 to 18
Omicron COVID-19 8
Smallpox 5 to 7
Ancestral COVID-19 2 to 3
H1N1 (2009) 1.5 to 2.5
Monkeypox <1

Monkeypox fortunately does not spread very efficiently between humans. Generally, you need to have skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, or come into contact with his/her bodily fluids, to get infected.

The people most at risk would be close contacts of the infected person, like family members or healthcare workers taking care of them.

Transmission is really happening from close physical contact, skin-to-skin contact. It’s quite different from COVID in that sense.
– Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

It’s not as highly transmissible as something like smallpox, or measles, or certainly not Covid. It does not spread easily from person to person, the risk to the general public is low.
– Anne Rimoin, infectious disease epidemiologist at University of California.

That is why it is very unlikely to become a pandemic, even though it is really abnormal for so many outbreaks to occur simultaneously.

There is also the fact that the monkeypox is so closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine offers 85% protection against monkeypox infections.

In fact, one smallpox vaccine – JYNNEOS – was approved in the United States to serve as protection against monkeypox. Even though there is no public access to this vaccine, that can quickly change.

Several countries, including the United States, have strategic reserves of smallpox vaccines, which can be deployed in a monkeypox outbreak.

We have already worked to secure sufficient supply of effective treatments and vaccines to prevent those exposed from contracting monkeypox and treating people who’ve been affected.
– Dr. Raj Panjabi, White House Pandemic Office.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!