Britain could supply Ukraine with armor-piercing depleted uranium ammunition. Threats from Russia soon follow.
Russia has expressed anger at Britain’s plans to supply stronger depleted uranium munitions to besieged Ukraine. After meeting with Chinese president and party leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow, Putin said:
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also threatened: “Of course
Russia has an answer.”
British Secretary of Defense: Very effective weapons
On Monday, the British government announced that it will supply Ukraine with ammunition in addition to the promised Challenger 2 main battle tanks. This includes armor-piercing munitions made from depleted uranium, Defense Secretary Annabel Goldie said in response to a question in the House of Lords.
“These types of shells are very effective at defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles,” said Goldie. Putin claimed that these were “weapons with a nuclear component”.
European Commission: No evidence of health risks
Uranium is a radioactive metal. Due to its higher density than steel or lead, depleted uranium has a higher penetrating power. Bullets were used, for example, in the wars in Iraq, Serbia and Kosovo.
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According to a 2010 opinion of the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER), there is “no evidence of any environmental or health risks” from depleted uranium:
But there were also reports in the Iraqi media about the deformations attributed to the ammunition used earlier in the war. According to experts, Russia also has uranium munitions.
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Although Putin himself ordered the war against the neighboring country more than a year ago, he blames the West for the ongoing conflict.
A particular thorn in Moscow’s side is Western arms assistance, which Ukraine relies on to defend its territory and recapture the occupied territories. Russia annexed a total of five Ukrainian territories, including the Black Sea peninsula Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, in violation of international law.
Latest news about Ukraine
Source: ZDF
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