On Wednesday, US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that depleted uranium rounds were neither radioactive nor carcinogenic.
"What is it: lies or silliness? [Scientists] have mentioned it multiple times and there are stand-alone articles saying that depleted uranium is toxic and dangerous for humans when it is in the form of radioactive dust, and the effect of radionuclide contamination of soils has also been brought up," Zakharova said on Telegram.
The rate of cancer diagnoses increases in places where depleted uranium ammunition was used, she recalled. This was experienced by Italian soldiers who took part in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Zakharova added.
"Out of 7500 people exposed to toxic substances and radiation, 372 people died, which is a mortality rate of 5% or a fatal outcome for every 20th person. Moreover, they died of agonizing cancer complications, such as kidney dysfunction, lung cancer, bone cancer, esophageal cancer, degenerative skin diseases, Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia," the spokeswoman said.
The Serbs, who were victims of NATO bombing, also suffered from depleted uranium munitions, as the Serbian Health Ministry said there was an increase in diseases such as cancer, infertility in men, autoimmune diseases of a broad [spectrum of] pathologies, pathological complications of pregnancy, mental illnesses in children in the regions bombed by NATO, the spokeswoman said.
On Wednesday, the US Defense Department announced a new $175 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes depleted uranium munitions for Abrams tanks, as well as air defense equipment and 155mm artillery shells.