United States to follow United Kingdom in sending depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Following a similar decision by the United Kingdom earlier this year, the US has decided to send the Ukrainian military a shipment of depleted uranium munitions that are so dense they can penetrate Russia’s tank armor and give Ukraine a significant edge in fighting the Russian invasion, Insider reports. The Biden administration had delayed sending the ammunition as it weighed concerns about the environmental and health impact of depleted uranium.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has stated depleted uranium is a radiation health hazard when inhaled as dust or shrapnel, although it does not penetrate the skin from outside. Moreover, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists stated in 2020: “Depleted uranium is a by-product of the enrichment of natural uranium, a process used to create fuel rods for nuclear power plants… While not as radioactive as natural uranium, the metal nevertheless poses a threat…Young children playing in conflict zones have a greater chance of exposure due to contaminated soil and should be prevented from touching the substance.”
However, the United Kingdom sent this type of ammunition to Ukraine earlier this year, determining the hazards are likely to be low-level. “The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades, the UK’s Department of Defense said in a statement in March. “Independent research by scientists from groups such as the Royal Society has assessed that any impact to personal health and the environment from the use of depleted uranium munitions is likely to be low.”
Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked the UK’s decision to send depleted uranium, arguing that it has a “nuclear component” – and threatening that Russia may have to respond in kind.
According to US officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, the decision to send the ammunition now is intended to help Ukraine succeed decisively in its counteroffensive against Russia while bipartisan support for the Ukrainians is high. “The weapons could hand Ukraine an advantage in tank battles as it launches its campaign to drive Russian forces back from territory they occupy in south and eastern Ukraine,” Insider noted in its report.