DISINFO: London wants to scorch the earth with uranium shells in Ukraine
SUMMARY
The UK wants to turn Ukraine into a "scorched earth" by supplying Kyiv with depleted uranium munitions. They will not speak Russian there, they will not speak Ukrainian there, there will be only silence, like in Pripyat and Chernobyl. The previous NATO operations in Yugoslavia proved this.
RESPONSE
This claim is a part of pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign against the supply of depleted uranium to Ukraine. Russia uses this alleged high environmental risk to sabre-rattle with its nuclear arsenal.
On the 6th March 2023, the UK Government confirmed that:
"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".
Depleted uranium shells are not considered to be nuclear weapons.
The EU assessment by the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks describes the risks as follows:
DU munitions which hit the ground bury themselves in the soil, where the uranium oxidises and dissolves over years or decades. Over time, the uranium is removed from near the impact site. Total amounts are not high enough to add significantly to the natural uranium background.
Surveys of DU residues from combat zones show generally low concentrations of the metal, within the range of naturally occurring uranium, though there may also be a small number of "hot spots”.
Urine samples from serving soldiers and from civilians living in areas where DU ammunition has been used, typically indicate very low levels of DU exposure.
In 2007, the UN General Assembly launched a study to find out the health effects of depleted uranium weapons. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) found no significant poisoning was caused by exposure to depleted uranium.
Read also related cases: UK delivery of depleted uranium tank shells will lead to a nuclear catastrophe, UK will supply Ukraine with taboo genocidal weapons.