UK To Transfer Ukraine Depleted Uranium Tank Shells - Deputy Defense Minister

The United Kingdom will transfer Ukraine depleted uranium tank ammunition, including armor piercing shells for Challenger 2 battle tanks, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2023) The United Kingdom will transfer Ukraine depleted uranium tank ammunition, including armor piercing shells for Challenger 2 battle tanks, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said.

Military expert Konstantin Sivkov told Sputnik in late January that the use of depleted uranium ammunition threatened health of people living in the special operation's area and could cause nuclear contamination and increase the number of cancer cases.

"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," Goldie wrote in an answer to a question from a member of the House of Lords on Monday.

Depleted uranium is used in armor piercing projectiles due to its high density and significant damage it causes after armor penetration. Nazi Germany was the first country to use depleted uranium for its tank shells due to the lack of more dense wolfram.

The US-led coalition intensively used this type of ammunition during its invasion of Iraq. Suad Al-Azzawi, a researcher at the US Colorado school of Mines, noted that the use of white phosphorus and depleted uranium by the United States in Iraq led to a sixfold increase in the number of cancer cases in the affected areas. On the other hand, other studies claim that ammunition based on depleted uranium has no measurable negative health consequences.

The UK is planning to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.