The measure could lead to an unprecedented escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.
Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.
Ignoring all Russian advises, the British government confirmed on April 26th that its depleted uranium weapons are already on Ukrainian soil. Moscow’s officials, anti-war activists and experts have repeatedly warned that such an escalation in the conflict should be avoided, but London has not observed the advice and has further violated a red line by sending radioactive weapons to the Kiev regime. It remains to be seen what the consequences of this dangerous measure will be.
The confirmation of the delivery of weapons was made by the Minister of Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, James Heappey, during a speech to the British Parliament. According to Heappey, depleted uranium ammunitions were sent to Ukraine along with other projectiles suitable for use in Challenger 2 tanks. The minister also added that British officials will not try to track where these weapons will be used.
“We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds (…) [These weapons] re now under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) (…) [UK’s Ministry of Defense] does not monitor the locations from where DU rounds are fired by the AFU in Ukraine”, the Minsiter said during the statement.
When asked by some parliamentarians about the health dangers posed by these weapons, Heappey claimed that this threat would be “low”. Interestingly, he even mentioned that the risk assessment is based on monitoring UK veterans who have already used them on the battlefield. In fact, the minister seems to completely ignore that a series of recent studies point to the opposite, showing serious health problems both in the soldiers who manipulated this equipment and in the victims of the ammunition. The problems include several risks commonly attributed to radioactive substances, such as cancer, fetal deformity, deficiency of fertility, among others.
Commenting on the case with journalists, Doug Weir, an expert linked to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, stated that when DU penetrators strike a target “they fragment and burn, generating chemically toxic and radioactive DU particulate that poses an inhalational risk to people”. Several other scientists have expressed similar views after analyzing the results of these munitions in Iraq and other countries where NATO troops have used them. However, London and Washington continue to deny evidence of these dangers.
It must be remembered that Moscow has repeatedly asked London to reconsider its plan to send these munitions to Kiev. In a recent statement, spokespersons for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia stated that the British measure would be an absolute “imprudence, irresponsibility”. Furthermore, in March, the Russian Ministry of Defense warned that the use of such projectiles could “cause irreparable harm” to the health of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians as well as inflict “tremendous economic damage to the agro-industrial complex” in the region, citing the weapon’s impact during the previous experience in Iraq.
However, despite the warnings, the shipment of these weapons was already expected. In March, US and British troops held a training program with Ukrainian soldiers to teach them how to properly handle depleted uranium munitions. The plan was very well prepared and echoes NATO’s interest in taking the proxy war with Russia to the most dangerous levels of military escalation, ignoring any humanitarian, environmental or social concerns.
Legally, depleted uranium weapons are a complex issue. There is no international convention banning them as there is no consensus among specialists on how to define these weapons. These munitions are really radioactive, which is why some experts believe they should be considered nuclear weapons under the legal principle of analogy. However, its radiation is lower than that of natural uranium, which leads other specialists to reject this classification.
Some other experts believe that a viable solution to the problem of these projectiles would be to consider them chemical weapons, since they contain toxic substances, regardless of the level of radioactivity. But this creates a problem for the western powers that have them, since the US and the UK are signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which would oblige them to destroy their depleted uranium stocks. Not by chance, both countries reject any initiative in this sense and prefer that these weapons remain without specific legislation, so that they can continue using them with impunity.
Indeed, given the absence of specific regulation, Moscow could consider the use of depleted uranium against its troops as a true nuclear attack, which would allow the Russians to react with their arsenal of mass destruction. This is unlikely to happen, as Moscow has repeatedly shown its interest in seeking the most peaceful and humanitarian solutions possible to the conflict, sometimes even ignoring violations against red lines just to avoid escalation.
However, regardless of what the Russian response will be, it is certain that damage to Ukrainian soldiers and the civilian population in the combat zone are inevitable. And the responsibility for that lies with NATO.
If a 20,000$ Lancet missile can take out a 4 million dollar tank, why does Ukraine (or Britain think) need depleted uranium rounds?
This is unnecessary and provocative.
I hope Russia makes London the recipient of the first Sarmat if they use them.
Half-life time of the used material is approximately 4.5 millarden years, so the use of this weapons means: if we can not have, can not control this area where this shit is used nobody else should control or have this area
Exactly , the is neocon policy . If we can’t take and control it , destroy it .All the destruction left behind in the ME , they call it a successful mission.
The lifetime expectancy of Londoners during an escalated “flash” is about 4.5 seconds.
Noble brits are spreading democracy once more, by radioactively contaminating the entire country. Thank you for your support UK. The funniest part in all of this, is that there’s still goblins left in Ukraine who fight on behalf of the Brits, despite them just having turned the entire country into a nuclear wasteland. Absolutely fucking unbelievable. Stockholm syndrome at it’s finest.
Let’s say that 95 pet cent of we Londoners know nothing and care less about the real background and causes of the conflict.
They will have opportunity to understand for less than 4.5 seconds when the metropolitan area is razed and is being invited by UK governments.
. . . . not neccesary to use this expensive rockets for this shit hole. after the fighting is over just simply collect all the contaminated crap and dirt where this uranium ammunition is used and empty it over the british country
The criminals will use them against civilians in Donbass,at the very least Russia should take legal action against the criminals in London,indict some military officials and politicians and send some arrest warrants out, see how the scum like them apples, they should also bring it up at the UN, not that it would do much good but would at least put it on record.
The next British mercenary captured needs to be forced fed ground up DU and given daily enemas with DU rounds.
Our government need it.
Sink down the brits all the way to hell ….
If Russia cares about what is left of the peoples of the Eastern Donbas who have endured this “takeover” since Victoria Nudleman came to Kiev with cookies…
Then the Russian Aerospace will devour every piece of radioactive/depleted uranium shell that enters the Eastern Ukraine within 1 kilometer of the border and those that deliver it!…
And if they DON’T – THEY ARE IN ON IT!!!
Tired of this Central Bank Shit Show…
Imagine that Russia could take soil filled with depleted uranium and scatter it over the house of commons. the bridges of the Thames and all over London? Perhaps they should?
. . . the best way to answer
Do the world as favor , Vald , nuke London. .
nah. let the UK collapse into chaos when the GBP is worthless so the overcrowded Island cannot afford to pay for its food and energy imports.
What deadly British viruses arriving in The Sudan via their classic excuses of evacuation of their nationals
Wipe out London with a H-bomb (Sarmat ICBM is the suitable tool ) and the gipsy-boy, prime minister Sunak either would come to terms or disappear!
The island monkey ruling filth on Pirate Rock are desperate. Only a major war can “save” them from the inevitable wrath of their starving underclass. Mother Russia needs to foment revolution and supply “humanitarian aid” to the working class of that unfortunate sewer. However, by using these dirty bombs in the Donbass the Piratze ruling class have made themselves legitimate targets for Russian strikes. Pirate Rock’s inbred pedovore elite needs to pay the cost directly on Pirate Rock.
Z
Putin ignored Erdogan’s advice NOT to invade Ukraine. Now, Just like Saudi Arabia in Yemen, Russia is bogged down in Ukraine. Progozin’s recent complaints show that the Ukrainian counter offensive, expected next week, will deal a serious blow to Russian forces there. China is trying to carve out a face-saving exit for Russia, but Ukraine’s demands will humiliate Russia anyway. Zelenzky wants all of Ukraine back, including Crimea. I can’t see Russia agreeing to that. On other end, the U.S. does not want the war to end with a Russian victory and Putin still in power. Russia’s biggest attack against the U.S. till date is its abandoning the petrodollar system. This was what both Saddam Hussein and Muhammad Gaddafi did. Iran tried it and barely escaped a physical military invasion. The U.S. cannot invade Russia. Ukraine provides the opportunity to deal with the Russian case without U.S. boots on the ground.
Will humiliate russia. LOL
Russia is in the driver seat. I dont think russia care how it looks in the PR world.
Dont you have kurds to harass?
Turkey is just lucky that russia and china want to play nice to them or they could have done the same the west is doing in ukraine with the turkish troops ind lybia, syria, iraq and karabakh.
Ces armes à l’uranium appauvri sont (à priori) toxiques pour le vivant, mais pas radioactives…
Elles contiennent de l’uranium 238 radioactif qui a une demie vie de plusieurs milliards d’années. Le U238 se désintègre progressivement en différents noyaux également radioactifs dont certains ont des demies vies de plusieurs centaines de milliers d’années. Les conséquences biologiques de ces armes ont déjà été monitorées lors des invasions us de l Irak en 1991 et 2003. Leur nocivité intervient principalement par contamination des voies aériennes et digestives. Les médecins irakiens et des ong sur place ont constaté de très nombreuses malformations infantiles, cancers de la tyroïde, carcinomes etc… Ils ont tenté de prévenir la communauté internationale à l’époque…. Autant le dire tout de suite c’était peine perdue.
deleted uranium therapy required for my senility
Putin will probably do nothing as usual why does he allow so.much shit to fly?
Ukraine’s flag should be changed to black and brown. Black for death and brown for the dead wasteland they would prefer to live in instead of their beautiful country
War criminal use of DU in Iraq and now in the Donbass. UK government and the parliament of all colour stripes hell bent again and again (as under Bojo Truss Sunak) to engage in war crimes—-including from the time of Bliar on Iraq and Cameron Clegg on Libya (if justice to reign then Hague-and these war mongers should be rotting in jail)
How many Brits really want to invite nuclear retaliation? But the sheeple get the scum that they vote for.
Where’s all the climate wallers? Where’s all the environmentalists? Where’s all the art destroyers? Where’s all the bleeding hearts? When there’s real pollution going on right under their noses, they shut up and ignore it. We live in a time of charlatans and fakes.
I hope that soon king charlij kingdom will taste and enjoy of poseidoning.
I agree that the assests Ukraine is receiving isn’t enough to make up for previous losses, let alone a ‘last-throw-of-the-dice’ Ukarinian offensive. But it’s enough to prolong the war…
Russia will need to retaliate the only language the British elite i.e. war criminals understand I suggest Russia sends it’s nuclear subs and war ships into international waters right off the UK coast and start exercise with DU ammunition this will force them to change their mind under pressure of ‘public opinion’ as far they have any inbring