A look at the uranium-based ammo the US is sending to Ukraine
Associated PressSep 06, 2023
As part of a $1B aid package that includes $175M for weaponry, the US announced that it's sending to Ukraine depleted uranium rounds on Wednesday.
Following suit with the British who first announced they were sending such munitions in March, the US said that the 120 mm rounds it would be sending were made to arm the US-made M1A1 Abrams tank — 31 of which it plans to send Ukraine this coming fall.
Russia is obfuscating the truth when it says such weapons are made from nuclear components. Depleted uranium is incapable of causing a nuclear reaction and the IAEA classifies it as a toxic chemical. While there are some health risks attached, these are largely overblown by Russia which also uses the munitions, alongside many other militaries across the world.
This is an inhumane move by the US that shows just how far Washington is willing to go in its attempt to weaken Russia. America is not satisfied with sacrificing this generation of Ukrainians but is prepared to irreparably damage the future ones as well. The long-term health risks of these weapons are well documented in places like Iraq, Serbia, and Kosovo.
There's a 4% chance that there will be a deadly clash between the US and Russian armed forces before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.