The United States has announced it will send a controversial weapon to Ukraine as part of more than $1 billion in military and humanitarian aid.
Russia condemned the move to equip US Abrams tanks with shells capable of piercing the conventional armor of enemy tanks.
The projectiles are made of depleted uranium, a by-product of the uranium enrichment process that has been stripped of virtually all radioactive material.
Alleged Ukrainian drone airstrikes were reported last night in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and near the capital Moscow.
An unconfirmed video shows what appears to be an explosion in central Rostov, which Governor Vasily Golubev said left one person slightly injured and several cars damaged.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a drone attacking the city of Ramenskoye was also shot down without damage.
The announcement of the new security package for Ukraine was made during a visit to Kiev by US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenwhich provoked an angry reaction from Russia.
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What are uranium shells
The 120mm uranium-laced shells are intended for M1 Abrams tanks that will be shipped to Ukraine later this year.
They are made from depleted uranium, a by-product of enriching naturally occurring uranium for the production of nuclear energy or nuclear weapons. However, it cannot cause a nuclear reaction it is considered “significantly less radioactive than natural uranium”according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Depleted uranium can be used to strengthen tank armor, but is preferred for use in weapons production due to its extreme density and ability to pierce conventional tank armor.
These types of projectiles sharpen on impact, increase their ability to penetrate armor and ignite on contact.
Russia also reacted with outrage when Britain announced in March that it would send Ukraine depleted uranium shells for its Challenger 2 tanks..
When President Vladimir Putin said such weapons had a “nuclear component”, Britain’s Defense Ministry said it had used depleted uranium in armour-piercing shells for decades and accused Moscow of deliberately spreading false information.
The United Nations Scientific Committee for the Study of the Effects of Atomic Radiation has not determined that exposure to depleted uranium leads to significant poisoning, but another UN body, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says that There may be a risk to persons handling depleted uranium grenade fragments.
The US decision marks a change of policy from the Pentagon, which in March said it would not send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine.
An official from the Ministry of Defense told the news page Politics that Washington had now decided to send the guns because they thought it was the best way to arm Abrams tanks in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the weapons as: “an ordinary type of ammunition”.
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The United States will also provide anti-armour systems, tactical air navigation systems and additional ammunition for Himars missiles.
“This new aid will help them sustain themselves and build more momentum,” said Minister Blinken.
The Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as “an indicator of inhumanity,” adding that the US was “deceiving itself by refusing to recognize the failure of the so-called Ukrainian military counter-offensive.”
Since June, territory recovery in the Ukrainian counter-offensive has been very slight, but their generals claim they succeeded in breaking through the formidable first lines of Russian defenses in the south of the country. (JO)
Source: Eluniverso
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