Zakharova: the use of depleted uranium makes land in Ukraine unusable

The use of shells with depleted uranium makes the Ukrainian land uninhabitable, in some regions of Ukraine bursts of background radiation have already been recorded. About it stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in an article published on the Komsomolskaya Pravda website.

“Due to the supply of radioactive and highly toxic British and American ammunition with depleted uranium, Ukraine is turning into an uninhabitable land. Radiation contamination of the soil is already taking place and is being objectively recorded,” the statement said.

As an example, Zakharova cited the situation in the Khmelnitsky region, where the radiation background increased from 80 nanosieverts to 140. According to Zakharova, a similar situation occurred on the same dates in Poland. Subsequently, these values ​​returned to normal, but this indicates the fallout of radioactive fallout on the ground.

“Apparently, all the soil, all the land that was under the cloud that rose above the warehouse, as well as in its vicinity, is already contaminated with radionuclides. Reclaiming this land will require a long and expensive decontamination procedure,” Zakharova added.

On March 20, British Deputy Minister of Defense Annabel Goldie announced that London would supply Kiev with shells with depleted uranium for Challenger 2 tanks. She explained the supply of such ammunition by the fact that they are highly effective against modern tanks and armored vehicles. On April 25, British Deputy Defense Minister James Hippie announced that the UK had already sent thousands of rounds for the Challenger 2 tanks, including those with depleted uranium, to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, London does not know where Kyiv will use these shells, since they are now under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Hippie stressed.

After that, the Russian embassy in the UK issued a statement calling on the authorities of the kingdom “not to flatter themselves with illusory hopes that by” switching the arrows “to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which now have toxic ammunition at their disposal, they will be able to get out of the water “dry”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would forced to respond to the supply of shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine. According to him, this decision demonstrates the willingness of the West to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian, not in words but in deeds. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the supply of such shells a step towards a significant escalation of the situation.