Russian retaliation would result from British intentions to send depleted uranium (DU) munitions to Ukraine, the Kremlin has warned.
“Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,” the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, told reporters.
Naturally, Russia is able to respond to this.
Shoigu’s response, when asked if this meant that a nuclear war was imminent, was, “It was not by chance that I told you about steps.
There are getting less and less.
Now, it was made public that armour-piercing rounds with DU were included in the Challenger 2 battle tanks that are being shipped from Britain to Ukraine.
Defence Minister Baroness Goldie said today: ‘Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.
‘Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.’
DU shells were used by US and British troops in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, as well as in the Balkans during the 1990s.
It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people’s lungs and vital organs.
DU is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties.
In response to Russia’s warning, a MoD spokesman said this evening: ‘The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades. It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.
‘Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform.’
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said the offer of DU-laden tanks will ‘not help the people of Ukraine.
She added: ‘Like in Iraq, the addition of depleted uranium ammunition into this conflict will only increase the long-term suffering of the civilians caught up in this conflict.
‘DU shells have already been implicated in thousands of unnecessary deaths from cancer and other serious illnesses.
‘CND has repeatedly called for the UK government to place an immediate moratorium on the use of depleted uranium weapons and to fund long-term studies into their health and environmental impacts.
‘Sending them into yet another war zone will not help the people of Ukraine.’
The news comes as the secretary general of Nato has said there were ‘signs’ indicating Russia has asked for lethal aid from China.
Launching his annual report for 2022, Jens Stoltenberg said: ‘We haven’t seen proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia.
‘But we have seen some signs that this has been requested from Russia and it is something that is being considered in Beijing by the Chinese authorities.’
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Russia for his high-profile visit yesterday, and met President Vladimir Putin soon afterwards.
Few details have been released on what the two leaders will discuss, but a 12-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine was published by China less than a month ago.
Mr Stoltenberg, who was speaking at the Nato headquarters in Brussels, said: ‘Our message has been that China should not provide lethal aid to Russia.
‘That would be to support an illegal war, and only prolong the war, and support the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia.’