“If this really happens, Russia will have to respond, considering that the West is starting to use weapons with nuclear components as a whole in the Ukrainian conflict,” Vladimir Putin warned while speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) reacted strongly, accusing the Russian president of “deliberately trying to misinform” the public about these types of munitions, stressing that the British military has been using depleted uranium in its bombs for “decades”.
“It is a static component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.”, the MoD reacted in a statement. “Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to misinform.”
Depleted uranium results from the enrichment of natural uranium to produce nuclear fuel. Its radioactivity is 40 percent less than that of natural uranium..
Ammunition containing this component was used in both the Gulf Wars and Yugoslavia They raised questions about the health effects of the radiation they emitted, even though it was weak.
London has “lost its way”
The Kremlin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons during its conflict with Ukraine, and is now trying to justify the argument by accusing it of being the first country to send weapons with nuclear components to the battlefield.
Putin’s criticisms echoed at the highest levels of his government. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu criticized London’s decision, saying “yet another border has been crossed – they are disappearing”.
The Russian foreign minister also commented on the news, appearing almost resigned. “Nothing can surprise me,” said Sergey Lavrov. London has “lost its way” and its actions are “harmful to the stability” of the world.he added.
Lavrov said that if the UK sends depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine, it is “prepared to violate international humanitarian law as it did in Yugoslavia in 1999”. “No doubt it will end badly for London,” he predicted.
Konstantin Gavrilov, the Russian representative to the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, also warned that Russia would consider sending these munitions to Ukraine, the equivalent of using “dirty nuclear bombs.”
Questions and guarantees
News of the shipment of these explosives was confirmed on Monday by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, which considers them “Very useful for defeating modern armored cars and armored vehicles“.
In a written response to a question from Parliament, Defense Minister Baroness Goldie admitted that the United Kingdom would send “munitions, including depleted uranium-based armour-piercing munitions” to Ukraine with a squadron of armed Challenger 2s.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said such munitions cause cancer and harm the environment.
The belief, shared by many experts, firmly believes in a link between birth defects and the use of depleted uranium, but contested at the official level.
Exposure and absorption of depleted uranium “appears to be below the established tolerance levels for uranium,” the EU says. Also, except for areas near destroyed vehicles and infiltrations, environmental “pollution” in war zones is generally minimal.
In a statement condemning Russian “misinformation”, the MoD said scientific studies indicated a “probably low” impact of the use of depleted uranium on personal and environmental health.
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