MOSCOW, September 20. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Defence Ministry on Saturday flatly denied the Ukrainian military chief’s allegations about the use of tactical nuclear weapons at Lugansk’s airport in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian media reports said that Defence Minister Geletei had made this statement upon return from talks in Poland.

“The leadership of Ukraine should consider sending Geletei through a basic military training course where rookies learn the main effects of a nuclear explosion and its consequences,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in what meant to be a jock.

“Speaking seriously, Geletei’s regular attempts to justify the failures of the punitive operation in the south-east of Ukraine by alleged actions of Russian army units look like paranoia. But no reasonable person will take them seriously,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian media earlier in the day quoted Geletei as telling one of the journalists that the Russian army had delivered two tactical nuclear strikes on the Lugansk airport from a self-propelled Tyulpan 2S4 mortar system, thus causing the Ukrainian troops to leave the area.

“The strikes were so powerful that they demolished buildings completely from top to bottom,” media reports quoted him as saying.