After approving the shipment to Ukraine of cluster bombs, sadly famous for the devastating effects they cause wherever they explode, the United States Government has announced that it will now also send the controversial munitions with depleted uranium to Kyiv.
This decision comes after three months of discussions about armor-piercing bullets, which are said to be highly effective against Russian army tanks. This will be the first time the US has sent this type of ammunition. Previously, the United Kingdom had equipped Ukrainian Challenger 2 tanks with this ammunition.
The Reuters agency already reported last week that the Americans had practically made this decision, of which the The Wall Street Journal He noted in June that there was debate among Pentagon commanders.
The crux of the matter is the contaminating content that this type of bullets can leave behind. Senior US military officials have indicated that although depleted uranium is a by-product of enriched uranium, this munition does not pose a radioactive threat.
In their argument, they stressed that a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear control body of the United Nations (UN), states that the existence of depleted uranium waste in the environment does not pose a danger. radiological for residents in areas affected by its use.
Just in case, a Pentagon spokeswoman appealed on CNN for the Ukrainians to “use responsibly” this type of ammunition, 120-millimeter caliber and intended for the Abrams tanks promised by the US to Ukraine last January.
Russia considers it “an escalation step”
The shipment of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine for US tanks is a “criminal act” leading to an escalation, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov. “This is, in fact, a criminal act, I cannot give any other assessment,” said the “number two” of Russian diplomacy on the sidelines of a conference on strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. , statements collected by EFE from the official TASS agency.
According to Riabkov, this announcement not only represents “an escalating step, but is a reflection of Washington’s scandalous disregard for the environmental consequences of the use of this type of ammunition in a combat zone.”
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