(Reuters) – Russian on Tuesday condemned British plans to send ammunition that contains depleted uranium to Ukraine, a move Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said left fewer and fewer steps before a potential “nuclear collision” between Russia and the West.
Speaking in London on Monday, Minister of State for Defence Annabel Goldie said some of the ammunition for the Challenger 2 battle tanks that Britain is sending to Ukraine includes armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.
“Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,” Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told reporters in remarks cited by domestic agencies.
Asked whether this meant that the world was closer to a nuclear collision, he replied: “It was not by chance that I told you about steps. There are fewer and fewer.”
Depleted uranium is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties, a point that Goldie made.
It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people’s lungs and vital organs.
“Naturally, Russia has something to answer this with,” Shoigu told reporters when asked about the ammunition.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the plan the “Yugoslavia scenario”, saying the ammunition caused cancer and infected the environment.
(Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Timothy Heritage, David Ljunggren and Jonathan Oatis)
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