Photo: Ukraine MoD

During the recent months, ICBUW has been monitoring the news with particular interest in finding evidence or reports of depleted uranium weapons use in Ukraine (see, lastly, our august article).

As of now, there are still no reliable information on where depleted uranium ammunition – already delivered by the US and the UK – was used on the frontline. At the same time, there is also no evidence of Russia using its depleted uranium weapons arsenals. This may be also due to the fact that developing and producing DU ammunition seems to never have been a priority for the Russian army. Even though it is believed to have significant arsenals of such ammunition, other ammunition types are much more common and are being actively used on the battlefield.

In a recent briefing of the Ukraine Armed Forces, Colonel Vlasiuk has confirmed more than 4800 cases, where Russia has used chemical compounds in battle. Over 2000 Ukrainian military personnel were hospitalized for chemical poisoning since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to our information, this figure of 2000 is highly underestimated. However, the report by Colonel Vlasiuk mentions only such substances as CS gas (also known as tear gas) and similar compounds, which are usually used by riot police. Depleted uranium is not mentioned in the report.

At the same time, Russia continues to instrumentalize the issue of depleted uranium weapons for its own political purposes. For example, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces of Russia, who was recently killed in Moscow, has several times mentioned the dangers of depleted uranium ammunition use and expressed his concerns about the western DU deliveries to Ukraine as recent as March 24, 2023. In his briefing, however, General Kirillov – while criticizing “the West” – omits to mention the amount of DU ammunition stockpiled by Russia. Another detail mentioned in this briefing, however, is very relevant to the current situation on the battlefield. According to Kirillov, DU weapons “have no advantages compared to tungsten in modern military conflicts”. This might be one of the reasons why we have not seen any new reports of DU use by Russia in a while.

On the other hand, it is known that DU is available in abundance, because it is a waste product of the nuclear chain. Tungsten on the contrary is a rare metal found naturally on Earth and being very expensive. So, one of the advantages for the users of DU is the cost.

It should also be mentioned, that despite Russia’s efforts on using the discussion around DU to further push the “Ukrainian war crimes” / “US and UK war crimes” narrative, the harmful effects of depleted uranium use on the battlefield and its long-lasting environmental and health impact, should not be downplayed. ICBUW stands by the position, that the use of depleted uranium weapons is prohibited under international law (our position is available here with a comprehensive legal assessment soon to be published) and a full-scale ban is required to ensure that it is not used in future conflicts, independently of the side using it being an aggressor or a victim. Without delegitimizing the right of a country to defend itself, we call for a neutral approach regarding this particular weapon type, and therefore see the Ukrainian Government’s position, expressed with regards to the 2024 UN Resolution on DU and calling the effects and environmental impact (only) a part of Russian propaganda and a psychological operation against Ukraine and its allies as non-constructive and damaging to the discussion.

(ICBUW Team)