The United States announced it will send a controversial weapon to Ukraine as part of more than $1 billion in military and humanitarian assistance.
Russia condemned the move to equip US Abrams tanks with shells capable of piercing the conventional armor of enemy tanks.
The projectiles are made of depleted uranium, a by-product of the uranium enrichment process that has been stripped of almost all radioactive material.
Overnight, alleged Ukrainian drone airstrikes were reported in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and near the capital Moscow.
An unconfirmed video shows what appears to be an explosion in the center of Rostov where, according to Governor Vasily Golubev, one person was slightly injured and several cars were damaged.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a drone that attacked the town of Ramenskoye was also shot down without damage.
The announcement of the new security package for Ukraine was made during a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv, prompting an angry response from Russia.
The uranium-laced 120mm tank rounds – included in the $175 million military kit for Ukraine – are for M1 Abrams tanks that will be shipped to Ukraine later this year.
The projectiles are made of depleted uranium, a byproduct of the enrichment of naturally occurring uranium for the generation of nuclear power or nuclear weapons. However, it cannot generate a nuclear reaction and is considered “considerably less radioactive than natural uranium,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Depleted uranium can be used to reinforce tank armor, but is preferred for use in weapons manufacturing because of its extreme density and ability to pierce conventional tank armor.
These types of projectiles sharpen on impact, extending their ability to penetrate armor, and ignite upon contact.
Russia also reacted with outrage when Britain announced in March that it would send Ukraine depleted uranium shells for its Challenger 2 tanks.
When President Vladimir Putin described such weapons as having a “nuclear component”, Britain’s Defense Ministry said it had used depleted uranium in armor-piercing shells for decades and accused Moscow of deliberately spreading false information.
The United Nations Scientific Committee for the Study of the Effects of Atomic Radiation did not find that exposure to depleted uranium produced significant poisoning, but another UN body, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says there could be a risk. for individuals handling depleted uranium projectile fragments.
The US decision represents a change in policy by the Pentagon, which declared in March that it would not be sending depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine.
A Defense Department official told the Politico news site that Washington had now decided to send the weaponry because they thought it was the best way to arm Abrams tanks in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the weaponry as “a run-of-the-mill type of ammunition.”
The United States will also be providing anti-armor systems, tactical air navigation systems, and additional munitions for Himars missiles.
“This new assistance will help them sustain themselves and build more momentum,” Secretary Blinken said.
The Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as “an indicator of inhumanity,” adding that the US was “deluding itself by refusing to acknowledge the failure of the so-called Ukrainian military counteroffensive.”
Since June, the recovery of territory in the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been very small, but its generals say they have succeeded in breaking through the formidable Russian first lines of defense in the south of the country.
On Wednesday, 16 people, including a minor, were killed in an airstrike in the town of Kostyantynivka, in Ukraine’s southern Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of the attack, but Russia has not commented on it.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cw4xv2yg9wpo, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-09-07 12:20:09
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