UK to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium shells for tanks
They are highly effective for destroying modern tanks and armored vehicles.
The UK will send armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium to Ukraine for use in a tank squadron donated by the British Army.
British Deputy Defense Secretary Anabel Goldie made the admission in response to a written parliamentary question from her colleague Lord Hilton, writes Declassified.
“Such projectiles are very effective against modern tanks and armored vehicles,” Goldie said.
Such munitions are not recognized as chemical weapons and their use is not regulated in any way.
A White House spokesman declined to confirm whether the US was supplying such weapons to Ukraine when asked by a journalist in January.
Russia has previously warned that it would regard the use of depleted uranium in Ukraine as a “dirty bomb”.
“If such shells for NATO heavy military equipment are delivered to Kyiv, we will consider this as the use of dirty nuclear bombs against Russia, with all the ensuing consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Konstantin Gavrilov said.
British Challenger 2 tanks – details
Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko said that in some cases, London’s assistance to Kyiv is more than requested. The number of Challenger 2 tanks transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will double.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Challenger 2 tanks would hit the front in Ukraine in March.