- Sputnik International, 1920, 25.02.2022
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev's forces.

Moscow: West Intends to Turn Ukraine Into 'Radioactive Landfill' as Part of 'All-Out Escalation'

© AFP 2023 / STAN HONDAUS Army Spcl. Eli Butcher of Charlie Company, from the 1-22 Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, counts 25mm rounds of depleted uranium ammunition, 11 February, 2004, at his base in Tikrit, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad
US Army Spcl. Eli Butcher of Charlie Company, from the 1-22 Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, counts 25mm rounds of depleted uranium ammunition, 11 February, 2004, at his base in Tikrit, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad - Sputnik International, 1920, 26.04.2023
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London is not monitoring the deployment of its depleted uranium (DU) munitions to Ukraine for the donated Challenger 2 battle tanks, and is under no obligation to eliminate the consequences of their use following the end of the conflict, James Heappey, UK minister of state for the armed forces, stated on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom will not be able to "get off scot-free" and succeed in shifting blame for the toxic depleted uranium munitions it has already placed in the hands of the Kiev regime, Moscow’s Embassy in London stated on Tuesday.
The move by Britain to send DU shells for Challenger 2 main battle tanks already delivered to Ukraine marks an “all-out escalation," an official statement by the embassy said. As for the remarks of UK Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey shrugging off any accountability for the potent anti-tank munitions, Moscow underscored this was further proof of the cynicism of the UK authorities.

"James Heappey's comments are a grim testament to the ruthlessness of the Anglo-Saxons' policy of an all-out escalation of the 'proxy conflict' they themselves unleashed in Ukraine. It has by now become self-evident that the West intends this country to become not only an anti-Russian military 'shooting range,' but also a radioactive landfill - with all the ensuing grave consequences for the health of local residents and the environment in the region," the statement by Russia's Embassy in London said.

Gunner's mates inspect linked belts of Mark 149 Mod 2 20mm ammunition before loading it into the magazine of a Mark 16 Phalanx close-in weapons system aboard the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB-63). - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
UK Gave Ukraine Thousands of Shells, Including Depleted Uranium Rounds
Heappey, known for previously cynically wielding a 2007 government study and claiming that depleted uranium carries only “low” health and environmental risks, revealed in a written answer to a parliamentary query from Scottish MP Kenny MacAskill that the UK had already sent "thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds." Heappey stopped short of offering an estimate of Kiev's "usage rates for the rounds provided," citing operational security reasons.
He also admitted that the UK was not monitoring the locations from where these rounds were fired and added that his country was not obligated to help Ukraine clear up the depleted uranium rounds post-conflict. The UK official's remarks serve as indication that Britain intends to leave all responsibility for use of the shells that poison the soil, pollute nature, and cause cancer both among civilians and military personnel with their eager Kiev clients.
du cover - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
Multimedia
Depleted Uranium Tank Shells: How Do They Work?
The UK needs to be aware of its responsibility for supplying Ukraine’s Armed Forces with shells containing depleted uranium, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on April 25 at a press conference following his visit to New York to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council.

"We have already spoken about depleted uranium more than once. Whoever says that DU munitions are not radioactive and not included in the relevant lists of the IAEA, there are facts and interviews with people who suffered [from consequences of strikes with such missiles] in the former Yugoslavia, they were shown on TV channels around the world," Lavrov stated, adding that Britain needs to be aware of its responsibility.

Portuguese and Italian troops measure radiation levels near a Yugoslav Army tank knocked out by NATO's bombardment in western Kosovo, Serbia, January 2001. - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.03.2023
Military
Use of Depleted Uranium in Ukraine Could Spark Global Health Crisis: Here’s Why
London announced its plan to supply the regime holed up in Kiev with armor-piercing rounds that contain depleted uranium on March 21. At the time, Minister of State for Defense Baroness Annabel Goldie stressed that "such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles."
There exists multiple grim testimony to the danger that depleted uranium poses. DU tank and artillery shells as well as air-dropped bombs contain the uranium byproducts left over from the production of nuclear energy. DU shells and bombs were deployed during the Gulf War in 1991, in the bombardment of Bosnia and the rump state of Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2001-2021 occupation of Afghanistan, the dirty war against Syria, and, allegedly, the 2011 NATO air campaign in Libya.
Following the use of DU ammo in Yugoslavia and Iraq, these countries have registered surging rates of cancer, including cancer among children. Furthermore, both sides of a conflict stand to suffer perilous fallout from the use of such ammunition, as evidenced by NATO soldiers whose commanders failed to inform them about the potential health risks.
Moscow has repeatedly urged the so-called collective West to cease all weapons shipments to Ukraine, arguing that the military aid will only prolong the conflict. After the UK announced its decision to supply depleted uranium ammunition to Kiev, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Western nations wanted to "see Ukraine completely destroyed." Russia's President Vladimir Putin dismissed Britain’s assurances that the munitions wouldn’t cause any health effects.

"This, of course, is not the case. The fact is that they do not belong to the category of weapons of mass destruction. That's true. But the core of the projectile with depleted uranium (different materials can be used, it is used for armor-piercing purposes) still generates so-called radiation dust, and in this sense it of course amounts to a weapon of the most dangerous kind," Putin said.

Ukrainian servicemen fire with a D-30 howitzer at Russian positions near Artemovsk, eastern Ukraine, on March 21, 2023 - Sputnik International, 1920, 29.03.2023
Americas
Fractured Ukraine Poisoned by Depleted Uranium 'Win' Scenario for Pentagon, Says Ex-DoD Official
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