(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday condemned British plans to send tank ammunition that contains depleted uranium to Ukraine, saying Moscow would be forced to respond accordingly.
Speaking in London on Monday, Minister of State for Defence Annabel Goldie said some of the ammunition for the Challenger 2 battle tanks that Britain is sending to Ukraine includes armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.
“If all this happens, Russian will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component,” Putin said in remarks after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He did not elaborate.
Russian politicians and commentators have made a series of combative remarks since the invasion of Ukraine last year, suggesting Moscow would – if necessary – be prepared to deploy its vast nuclear arsenal.
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the British decision left fewer and fewer steps before a potential “nuclear collision” between Russia and the West.
“Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,” he told reporters in remarks cited by domestic agencies.
Depleted uranium is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties, a point that Goldie made.
It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people’s lungs and vital organs.
“Naturally, Russia has something to answer this with,” Shoigu told reporters when asked about the ammunition.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the plan the “Yugoslavia scenario”, saying the ammunition caused cancer and infected the environment.
I think it's insanity on the part of the UK and US, Ted. As I understand, the US nuclear arsenal is very poorly maintained and there's some doubt whether the weapons will even launch properly.
Though the Russian T90 tanks can be equipped with DU munitions, they are only using titanium tipped rounds. Remember this is not open war yet, it's still the SMO. If and when Russia is forced into a full war confrontation, this could go nuclear very fast. As in they will push the "Dead Hand" launch rockets and it's all over for the planet in a few hours. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in reverse, right on Russia's front porch, and it is utter madness by the US/NATO/Western Alliance.
DU is a complete disaster for both Iraq and Afghanistan. The half life is 4.5 billion years. the shrapnel fragments will be even more radioactive in 100 years time due to the daughter products of nuclear decay...and so forth "forever"....