Vladimir Putin has sought to exploit a British statement that it would
supply Ukraine with tank shells made with depleted uranium, arguing that
the delivery of the armour-piercing weapons would prompt a Russian
response.

The Russian leader’s comments, made during the visit to Moscow by his
Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, came in response to a parliamentary answer
given by a junior British defence minister in the House of Lords on Monday.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/21/putin-says-russia-will-respond-if-uk-supplies-depleted-uranium-shells-to-ukraine

Annabel Goldie said that the UK would supply “armour piercing rounds which
contain depleted uranium” to Ukraine with its gift of 14 Challenger 2
tanks because they are deemed “highly effective in defeating modern tanks
and armoured vehicles”.

The comments began to circulate on Russian social media channels on
Tuesday, and the Russian leader chose to refer to them after a meeting
with Xi. “If all this happens, Russian will have to respond accordingly,
given that the west collectively is already beginning to use weapons with
a nuclear component,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said there were now
fewer and fewer steps left before a potential “nuclear collision” between
Russia and the west. Moscow also has its own Svinets-2 depleted uranium
tank shells in its stockpile.

Similar munitions were used by the UK and the US in the Iraq and Gulf wars
in 1991 and 2003, and a recent review of studies in BMJ Global Health
highlighted “possible associations” of long-term health problems among
Iraqis linked to depleted uranium use on the battlefield.

An analysis from the World Health Organization concludes that “in some
instances the levels of contamination in food and groundwater could rise
after some years” and should be monitored, and recommends clean-up actions
be taken where “depleted uranium contamination levels are deemed
unacceptable by qualified experts”.

CND also criticised the decision, saying it was unnecessary for the UK to
send such tank ammunition to Ukraine because, according to its general
secretary, Kate Hudson, it “will only increase the long-term suffering of
the civilians caught up in this conflict”.

The CND leader said the UK should instead “place an immediate moratorium
on the use of depleted uranium weapons” – a demand the Ministry of Defence
has repeatedly rejected – “and to fund long-term studies into their health
and environmental impacts.”

### - just gotta keep crossing those red lines innit huh, a little bit
more, then just a little bit more? to the point some kinda provocative
'shit' seems to be happening almost every day now?? (it's gathering
pace...)

the effects of depleted uranium (so called) being very well known after
the gulf war: fairly inert in its natural state but another matter
altogether when vaporised/inhaled/ingested!

thus russia can only look upon this latest threat as an effort to
deliberately poison those newly annexed areas for maybe even centuries to
come, something which they'll likely take a rather dim view of seeing as
they now consider those annexed areas to be part of russia itself...

black to move!