Russia reacted yesterday with anger to the announcement made the day before by the United States that it will supply the Ukrainian army with projectiles containing depleted uranium. The Kremlin and Russian diplomats assured that this step aggravates the conflict, a common criticism in Moscow of the supply of any type of Western weapons to Kyiv. But on this occasion he added the argument of the damage that this type of ammunition could cause to health and the environment.
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Ryabkov, stated that it is a “criminal act.” The number two in Russian diplomacy said that Washington's announcement represents not only "one more step in increasing tension, but also a reflection of Washington's scandalous contempt for the environmental consequences of the use of this type of ammunition in combat zones."
The Kremlin added that the US will answer for the “very sad consequences” of its decision. Ingesting or inhaling uranium, even depleted uranium, is dangerous, as it increases the risk of developing several types of cancer.
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday a new aid package for Ukraine that includes this type of ammunition with a caliber of 120 millimeters for the 31 M1 Abrams tanks promised by Washington last January and which are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine this fall. The new package, which includes military and civilian assistance worth more than $1 billion, was announced Wednesday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Ukraine.
The Americans' decision was made after three months of discussions. These bullets are credited with very high effectiveness against the tanks of the Russian army, due to their great piercing capacity. That would help Kyiv break Russian lines in its grueling counteroffensive.
It will be the first time that the US sends this type of ammunition. He previously promised to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs, known for the devastating effects they cause wherever they explode. The UK has also promised Kyiv depleted uranium shells for its Challenger 2 tanks.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said that the massive use of this type of ammunition in 1999 by NATO in the former Yugoslavia caused an increase in cases of cancer and other diseases. “These consequences were also suffered by later generations,” Peskov said at a press conference. According to him, this is what is going to happen in Ukraine.
It is a clear sign of “inhumanity,” the Russian embassy in the US capital said in a statement on its Telegram channel. “Washington, obsessed with the idea of inflicting ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia, is ready to fight not only to the last Ukrainian, but also to put an end to future generations,” he added.
The controversy over this type of projectiles focuses on the pollution they may leave behind. Senior US military officials have indicated that, although depleted uranium is a byproduct of the process to create enriched uranium, this munition does not pose a radioactive threat.
This argument is based on a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This UN organization has also said that studies in the former Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon “indicated that the existence of depleted uranium waste dispersed in the environment does not pose a radioactive danger to the population of the affected regions.” However, he has also assured that people who "come into direct contact with these objects could suffer the effects of radiation."
Another report from the UN Environment Program on the impact in Serbia and Montenegro found “no significant and widespread contamination.”
But Serbian politicians have questioned this and reported a higher incidence of malignant diseases caused by this type of uranium. Likewise, the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons assures that ingesting, or even inhaling, depleted uranium dust can cause cancer and defects in newborns.
