According to news agency documents reuters Collected and confirmed by two US officials on September 1, this type of ammunition can help destroy Russian tanks. It is part of a new military aid package for Ukraine to be announced next week.
According to an informed source, this type of ammunition can be fired from American Abrams tanks and is expected to be delivered to Ukraine in the next few weeks.
One of the officials said the upcoming aid package is worth between USD 240-375 million depending on the equipment sent.
Officials said the value and details of the aid package were still being finalized. The White House has not responded to the above information.
Soldiers take ammunition for Abrams tanks. Photo: Reuters
Britain sent depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine earlier this year but this would be the first US shipment.
The use of depleted uranium bullets has been the subject of intense debate as opponents such as the International Coalition for the Prohibition of Uranium Weapons have warned of dangerous health risks when swallowing or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancer and birth defects.
As a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process, depleted uranium is used as ammunition because it is very dense and has very high velocity, allowing bullets to easily penetrate armor and ignite. Can.
The US used large quantities of depleted uranium munitions during the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars, as well as in 1999 when NATO bombed Yugoslavia.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said studies in Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon indicated that The existence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment does not pose a radiological hazard to people in the affected area.
However, radioactivity could increase the challenge of post-conflict cleanup in Ukraine. Many areas of Ukraine are littered with unexploded ordnance including cluster bombs and other munitions, as well as hundreds of thousands of anti-personnel mines.
The upcoming equipment is being sourced from additional US stockpiles. The US security assistance package for Ukraine exceeds USD 43 billion since Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022.
