Information about the British government’s approval of the transfer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine of sub-caliber ammunition with a core of depleted uranium for Challenger 2 tanks shook the russian establishment. The kremlin`s media reproduces the statements of high-ranking russian officials, from shoigu with lavrov to putin, with the main narrative – “moscow will consider Kyiv’s use of uranium-tipped projectiles as the use of “dirty” nuclear bombs.” In particular, the propagandists claim that the mass use of such shells will cause serious damage to people and the area, and also aims to destroy the entire russian-speaking population and turn Eastern Ukraine into an uninhabitable territory. In turn, putin threatened that “russia will be forced to react when the collective West begins to use weapons with a nuclear component.” In addition, the propaganda media accused the US of using shells with depleted uranium in Yugoslavia, which allegedly led to an increase in the number of cancer diseases among NATO soldiers, in particular Italians. In response, Great Britain accused the russian authorities of speculating on nuclear weapons and deliberately distorting information.
🔻 Depleted uranium is a relevant component in the production of armor-piercing subcaliber projectiles. These are 120-mm ammunition of the L26A1 and L27A1 types, which, thanks to the high mass density of uranium, have an armor penetration level of up to 700 mm, which is why they are able to hit all types of russian tanks and armored vehicles, regardless of the degree of protection. Such projectiles penetrate even composite armor, which is designed to counter cumulative projectiles.
Do armor-piercing shells with depleted uranium pose a potential threat to the population of Ukraine?
Firstly, subcaliber projectiles with a core of depleted uranium are not some exotic weapon, but one of the most effective anti-armor ammunition used by many armies around the world. Depleted uranium ammunition is in service with the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, France, and russia. In the USSR and the russian federation, such projectiles have been used since the 1980s in the 2A46M-4 guns of the T-80 family tanks and the 2A46M-5 guns of the T-90A and T-90M tanks. In recent years, the 3BM59 “Svynets-1” projectiles with a uranium core and 3BM32 and 3BM33 “Vant” tank ammunition using depleted uranium have been in service with the russian armed forces. In terms of their armor-piercing ability, Western projectiles are much better than russian ones, that is, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive an effective tool against the armored vehicles of the russians. So far, there is no confirmed data that the russian federation uses depleted uranium ammunition in Ukraine, but certain data indicate that the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured such shells as trophies.
Secondly, depleted uranium is only in the core of the projectile and the radioactivity of such material is extremely low. No UN conventions prohibit its use in armed conflict, as depleted uranium “cannot be used as nuclear fuel or converted into nuclear weapons.” That is, ammunition with depleted uranium has nothing to do with a “dirty” bomb or a weapon with a nuclear component.
Thirdly, according to the results of the UN investigation, the use of depleted uranium in Yugoslavia and Bosnia did not affect the environment and/or the population, as well as the participants in the hostilities. Reports of an increase in cancer after the use of shells with depleted uranium in Yugoslavia were refuted by a study by the Italian Ministry of Defense. Italian scientists, who investigated the issue of contamination of the area, proved that the uranium content in the soil did not exceed permissible standards.
In the resolution on the use of depleted uranium, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018, with reference to the IAEA study, it is said “that the radiological threat to the population and the environment, created as a result of the use of ammunition with depleted uranium, is not significant.”
❗️Therefore, the use of shells with depleted uranium is safe for the environment, the civilian population and the tank crews that use them. The kremlin’s disinformation campaign is primarily based on the manipulation of nuclear terminology and topics, which provokes fear of the use of nuclear weapons and radiation pollution in people, especially Ukrainians who have gone through the Chernobyl disaster.
It can be argued that the traditional “howling in the swamps” of the russian leadership was not caused by the perceived threat of radiation damage, but by the gained opportunity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to effectively hit russian tanks. After all, the experience of military campaigns in Iraq demonstrated that the vast majority of russian tanks are unable to “hold” the blows of such shells. Now, as the fighting in Ukraine nears its climax, increasing the penetrating power of projectiles to destroy russian armored vehicles could be a decisive factor in victory.
