Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin on the TV channel "Russia 24" said that Russia has something to respond to the supply of shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine.

"I must say that Russia, of course, has something to answer. Without exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of such shells. We do not apply them yet," the president stressed.

At the same time, Vladimir Putin noted that such shells do not belong to the category of weapons of mass destruction.

"But the core of a projectile with depleted uranium (different materials can be used there, it is used for armor-piercing purposes) still generates the so-called radiation dust, and in this sense, of course, it belongs to the weapons of the most dangerous nature," the president stressed.

Referring to the data of experts, the head of state recalled that it was after the use of such ammunition in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and Iraq that the statistics on oncological diseases increased many times.

"In this sense, we can attribute this to the most harmful and dangerous weapons for humans. Not only for combatants, for combatants, for the environment and for people living in this territory," Putin said.

  • Putin said that Russia has something to respond to the supply of depleted uranium to Ukraine

The President also drew attention to the prospects for the possible use of shells with depleted uranium in Ukraine by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"How will they use against people who are actually their own? I mean that these residues will dust, including contamination of sown areas in those regions where they will be used," the head of state emphasized.

"The West is well aware of the negative consequences of the use of depleted uranium munitions"

On the eve of the Ministry of Defense of Russia said that the use by the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of ammunition with depleted uranium will cause irreparable harm to their health.

As the head of the Troops of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Igor Kirillov noted, Western countries are quite aware of the negative consequences of the use of ammunition of this type, but still declare their readiness to supply them.

"The West is well aware of the negative consequences of the use of depleted uranium munitions. Despite the fact that the use of such ammunition will cause irreparable harm to the health of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the civilian population, NATO countries, in particular the UK, express their readiness to supply this type of weapon to the Kiev regime," Kirillov said.

  • AP
  • © Olivier Matthys

Recall that the intention to supply Kiev with shells with depleted uranium was previously reported by British Deputy Defense Minister Annabel Goldie in a written response to a question from one of the members of the House of Lords.

Subsequently, commenting on this information, Vladimir Putin stressed that if Kiev receives such weapons, Moscow will be forced to react. The President also noted in this regard that the West has once again demonstrated its intention to fight With Russia to the last Ukrainian.

"As if the Westerners did it on purpose"

Vladimir Putin in an interview with Pavel Zarubin said that the West specifically announced the supply of shells to Kiev during negotiations between Russia and China.

"On the same day, when President Xi Jinping told me and showed me, proved the positive aspects of the Chinese settlement plan in Ukraine by peaceful means, on the same day we learned about the supply of a million shells to Ukraine from Western countries, from the arsonists of this conflict," he said.

  • Putin: The West specifically announced the supply of shells to Kiev during the negotiations between Russia and China

The head of state stressed that the next day, right before the meeting of the leaders with the press, it became known about the UK's plans to supply the Kiev regime with shells with depleted uranium.

"As if the Westerners did it on purpose in order to somehow disrupt our negotiations or influence them, I do not even know why, but it seems that this was done deliberately," the president stated.