The UN's nuclear watchdog will this week carry out an "independent verification" of Russian allegations concerning the production of so-called dirty bombs at two sites in Ukraine, it said on Thursday.

Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing to use such a weapon against Moscow's troops, but Kyiv suspects Russia might itself use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack, possibly to justify use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi said: "IAEA inspectors will conduct independent verification at these locations".

He said they would work "to detect any diversion of nuclear material under safeguards, any undeclared production or processing of nuclear material at the two locations and assure that there are no undeclared nuclear material and activities".

The agency said it had inspected "one of the two locations a month ago and no undeclared nuclear activities or materials were found there."

A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which are spread in an explosion.

Earlier on Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the IAEA to inspect Ukraine's nuclear sites "as fast as possible".

After speaking behind closed doors to the UN Security Council in New York, Grossi told reporters the IAEA's conclusions would come in "days, very fast".

"Normally our inspections are looking for nuclear material, direct nuclear material," he said, adding that the IAEA would need to perform "different kinds of work" this time.

Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia said "We (told) director general Grossi... that he should be vigilant because these facilities are not the only ones where that can be produced."

"We said we would be happy to be mistaken," Nebenzia added.

Russia calls for UN probe into US 'military-biological activities' in Ukraine
Moscow (AFP) Oct 27, 2022 - Russia has filed a complaint with the UN Security Council demanding an international investigation into the United States' "military-biological activities" in Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said Thursday.

Shortly after, Ukrainian and American representatives to the UN both rejected accusations implicating Washington in the development of biological weapons in Ukraine.

"The Russian Federation was left with no choice but to file a complaint with the Chairman of the UN Security Council to launch an international investigation" into "the military-biological activities of the United States in Ukraine," according to the Russian foreign ministry statement.

The ministry said that during "the special military operation (in Ukraine) evidence and material that shed light on the true nature of the US military-biological activities on Ukrainian territory were obtained."

Russia filed the complaint with a draft resolution to the Security Council, and compiled a 310-page document seen by AFP.

US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield refuted the claims at the Security Council on Thursday.

- 'Pure fabrications' -

"We all know these claims are pure fabrications brought forth without a shred of evidence," she said.

"Still, I must take this opportunity to set the record straight. Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program," Thomas-Greenfield added. "The United States does not have a biological weapons program."

Ukrainian deputy ambassador to the UN Khrystyna Hayovyshyn said her country "has never ever developed, produced or stored -- alone or together with someone else -- biological or chemical weapons."

"Our country does not possess the corresponding infrastructure for biological weapons development and production," she added. "This provocative issue has been already raised by Russia many times."

Shortly after the start of the Ukraine offensive Russia accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons.

The UN's Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Adedeji Ebo, reiterated that the UN had no knowledge of such programs on Thursday.

"As high representative Izumi Nakamitsu informed the council in March, and May of this year the United Nations is not aware of any such biological weapons programs. This remains the case today," Ebo told the Security Council.

Ebo also noted the UN had no mandate or technical capacity to investigate the claims.

In March, US President Joe Biden said the United States was not holding chemical and biological weapons in Europe.

Russia has previously also accused the United States of secretly carrying out biological experiments in a lab in Georgia, another former Soviet republic, which like Ukraine aims to join NATO and the European Union.

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Russia undertakes nuclear drills as fighting heavy near Bakhmut
Moscow (AFP) Oct 26, 2022
Russia's strategic forces carried out drills Wednesday, including a test launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine, further stoking concerns that a nuclear weapon could be deployed in the Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin surveyed the drills carried out by his nuclear-capable forces as Moscow persisted in claiming, without offering evidence, that Kyiv was developing a "dirty bomb." On Monday the Russian foreign ministry posted photographs of ostensible nuclear materials on socia ... read more