TOP HEADLINES

· Russia's defense ministry said it destroyed a depot that was storing over 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel in the village of Smila in Cherkasy region in central Ukraine.

· Russia fired missiles and drones into the Ukrainian-held southern town of Mykolaiv, destroying an apartment block, and said the war was trending towards "uncontrolled escalation" in a flurry of telephone calls to Western defense ministers.

· Ukraine slammed Russia for alleging Kyiv was planning to use a radioactive bomb in its own territory, calling the claims "dangerous" lies and prompting Western allies to warn Moscow against using any pretext for escalating the conflict. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with his British, French and Turkish counterparts to convey "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'", Moscow said, referring to a weapon that uses traditional explosives to scatter radioactive material. READ MORE BELOW

· In a joint statement, Britain, France and the United States said they were committed to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and rejected Russia's warning about a "dirty bomb". "Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia's transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory", they said. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation".

· Two lines of defense have been built in the Russian region of Kursk near the border with Ukraine to deal with a possible attack, the local governor said. Structures that appear to be a series of defensive bunkers where soldiers can store ammunition and shoot from narrow slits were shown in pictures posted on social media by governor Roman Starovoit.

· The Russian-installed administration of Ukraine's Kherson region said it was organizing some local men into militia units. In a notice on Telegram, the occupation authorities said men had the "opportunity" to join territorial defense units if they chose to remain in Kherson amid a general evacuation. 

· A Russian TV presenter apologized for calling for Ukrainian children to be drowned, as Russia's state Investigative Committee said it was probing his remarks. In a show last week on state-controlled broadcaster RT, presenter Anton Krasovsky said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been "thrown straight into a river with a strong current".

· Ukraine said seven vessels sailed from its ports laden with grain for Asia and Europe, but accused Russia of blocking full implementation of a Black Sea grain deal.

· A UN spokesperson said "much more needs to be done" to clear a backlog of more than 150 ships involved in a Black Sea grain-export deal. Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the United Nations had all acknowledged the problem. 

· Ukraine's SBU intelligence service said it had detained two officials of Ukrainian aircraft engine maker Motor Sich on suspicion of working with Russia. The SBU also detained the company's department head for foreign economic activities, it added. 

· Iran announced a contract with Russia to supply it with 40 turbines to help its gas industry amid Western sanctions, media reported. Iran's "industrial successes are not limited to the fields of missiles and drones," Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company's CEO, Reza Noushadi, was quoted as saying by Shana, the oil ministry's news agency.

· A top Iranian general sanctioned by the European Union for allegedly supplying Russia with drones has mocked the bloc by telling them to "buy coal" for winter with his assets, media reported. The chief of staff of the armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was among three Iranian military officials put on recent EU and British sanctions lists.

IN DETAIL

Kyiv slams Moscow's allegations of 'dirty bomb' as 'dangerous' lies

Ukraine slammed Russia for alleging Kyiv was planning to use a radioactive bomb in its own territory, calling the claims "dangerous" lies and prompting Western allies to warn Moscow against using any pretext for escalating the conflict.

A "dirty bomb" is not a nuclear device. It is a dangerous bomb with radioactive material packed around it, with the aim to spread dangerous materials over a large area. 

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with his British, French and Turkish counterparts to convey "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'," Moscow said, referring to a weapon that uses traditional explosives to scatter radioactive material.

But Ukraine and its Western allies swiftly dismissed Moscow's allegations, with the United States, Britain and France issuing a joint statement rejecting Russia's "transparently false" claims.

Moscow said Shoigu had also spoken to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, but the Pentagon said Austin had "rejected any pretext for Russian escalation" in the phone call.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that he spoke to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to "reject Russia's false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a united international response.

"If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this," Zelenskyy said in a video address on social media.

"I believe that now the world should react as harshly as possible."

Earlier on Sunday, Kuleba had denounced Moscow's claims as "absurd" and "dangerous".

"Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves," he added. 

A British defense ministry statement said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace had "refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation".

And in Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said President Joe Biden's administration dismissed Moscow's "transparently false allegations".

Video edited by Thomas Triebel