Is the deployment of depleted uranium weapons by Britain to Ukraine indicative of an imminent nuclear war?

By: N. Daneshvar

When the military conflict between Moscow and Kyiv first erupted a year ago, British and American Special Forces were deployed to Ukraine. Many military observers believe that the West's primary objective at the time was to escalate the hostilities in Ukraine into a full-fledged proxy war against the Russian Federation. The western governments were not expecting to be so deeply embroiled in the crisis that they would need to send out weapons containing depleted uranium to defeat Russia, despite their earlier assurances that they would not provide the regime in Kyiv with radiological weapons.

The deployment of British Challenger-2 tanks has stoked tensions between London and Moscow. The British Minister of Defence, Annabel Goldie, has recently confirmed that the United Kingdom will provide Challenger-2 tanks to Ukraine. Due to its destructive potential, the UK is also ready to ship depleted uranium ammunition to beleaguered Ukrainian troops. Meanwhile, President Putin warned that if Britain provided depleted uranium tank ammunition to Ukraine, his nation would be obliged to take retaliatory measures.

Russian military expert Yuri Knotov has suggested that Moscow could potentially interpret the decision made by Britain to provide Ukraine with uranium-containing ammunition as a tactical move by the West to employ nuclear weaponry on a limited scale. In this respect, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, said the "British decision could lead to a global catastrophe, particularly for European nations. Mr. Volodin has further implied that there would be no way to withdraw from the extensive use of nuclear weapons if they were delivered to Ukraine.

In reaction to Moscow's criticisms, a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence admitted with a usual degree of hubris that the depleted British army has used uranium for decades. This ostensibly straightforward remark flawlessly demonstrates the disastrous outcome of Western governments' wars they waged all over the globe. Western media outlets, mainly American and British, are endeavouring to vindicate their disastrous endorsement of Zelenskyy and his clique, even though the condition of the Ukrainian army and the fascist militias it commands is less than desirable on the ground.

In a bid to sway public opinion, Western reports have analysed the design of these weapons to promote their usage, emphasising their unique features in terms of penetration depth and damage while claiming that depleted uranium is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and that the quantity of uranium used in these weapons is far less than that used in nuclear fuel or bombs. The Western media unabashedly advocated for the necessity of these weapons, suggesting that they have been in use for a long time. The inhumane use of depleted uranium weapons by the United Kingdom and the United States in the wars in Iraq during 1991 and 2003 serves as a bitter reminder of the West's hypocrisy, deceit, and insanity. It is imperative upon the international community to take all necessary measures to avert the repetition of such calamitous scenarios.