Russia’s foreign ministry warned on Wednesday that the UK could take the war in Ukraine “to a new level” if it sends depleted uranium munitions to Ukrainians.
The Russian diplomacy also issued a statement deploring the fact that the United Kingdom had apparently forgotten “the terrible consequences of using such ammunition” in previous conflicts such as Iraq or Yugoslavia.
“Such a desire to increase the suffering of the civilian population and cause irreparable damage to the environment shows that the British are ready to neglect the inhabitants of Ukraine”the Russian ministry said, berating London for “its frivolity” regarding its commitment to post-conflict recovery of Ukrainian cities.
“The behavior of the British side, so frank in its cynicism, shows once again who the real aggressor and instigator of the conflict in Ukraine is (…). London must not forget that it will have to take full responsibility for this” , the Moscow authorities stressed and warned the United Kingdom that the decision “will not be free of serious consequences”.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly ruled out a “nuclear escalation of the conflict” in Eastern Europe.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed on Tuesday that, along with a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks, it would supply Ukraine with “ammunition, including armour-piercing depleted uranium shells”.
However, Moscow has stated that it classifies these types of weapons as nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, several senior Russian officials had already criticized the shipment of depleted uranium munitions to the Ukrainians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that London’s plans to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions would only bolster the Russian response, but the British claim the Russian government “intended to provide misinformation” by saying the depleted uranium ammunition that she is going to send to Ukraine have a nuclear component.
A spokesman for the British Ministry stressed that “the British Army has been using depleted uranium in its armour-piercing projectiles for decades” and pointed out that “it is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities”.
The announcement by the British authorities was not well received by activists from the British organization Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [Campanha pelo Desarmamento Nuclear]which today condemned the shipment of this type of ammunition to Ukraine.
Source: DN
