New turning point in US military aid to Ukraine. According to information from Reuters, the Biden administration plans to send ammunition containing depleted uranium that will, in particular, pierce the armor of Russian tanks. According to the document consulted by Reuters and two US officials, these projectiles will be able to be fired by Abrams assault tanks that will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
The shipment of arms is part of a new military aid that will be announced in the coming days. Its amount would be between 240 and 375 million dollars (between 223 and 348 million euros) depending on the equipment included. The shipment of this type of ammunition is a first for the United States, but other countries have already provided it to the Ukrainian military. Britain has already shipped a few this year.
No radiological risk
This extremely dense material is used in bombs and armor-piercing shells to make them more penetrating. Depleted uranium munitions were used extensively by the United States during the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars and during the NATO bombing raids on the former Yugoslavia in 1999.
Depleted uranium is a byproduct of uranium enrichment and spent fuel processing. Although they are much less radioactive than natural uranium, the particles can persist for a long time in the environment.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicated that studies carried out in the former Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon “have shown that the existence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment did not present any radiological risk to human beings.” population of those affected. regions”.
However, opponents of the use of these munitions claim that ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust poses dangerous health risks, including cancer and birth defects.
Source: BFM TV
