Britain’s plan to deliver depleted uranium projectiles to Ukraine is London’s latest provocation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.
"This is a matter of the absolute recklessness, irresponsibility, and impunity of the Anglo-Saxons, the Anglo-Saxon duo, primarily London and Washington, in international affairs. This is another British provocation, which is aimed at bringing the situation around Ukraine to a new round of aggression, conflict and confrontation, and giving a qualitatively different dimension to it,” Zakharova said.
The statements of Washington and London about their desire for peace in Ukraine and the well-being of the Ukrainian people are lies, the Russian diplomat said, noting that their true goal is the destruction of Ukraine.
"All conversations that they see the well-being of Ukraine in the future end with their statements about their intention to supply depleted uranium shells," Zakharova said, adding that the use of depleted uranium projectiles is actually an act of genocide against the population that such weapons are used on.
She also recalled that issues related to the consequences of the use of depleted uranium shells remain taboo in the West.
The Russian diplomat also emphasized that Annabel MacNicoll Goldie, a member of the UK's House of Lords, is not fully aware of the consequences of the use of depleted uranium shells.
"I am not sure that the British lady [Goldie] who made the statement is fully aware of the consequences of the use of these weapons. Not only will those against whom they are used and those who are in the affected area at this historical moment suffer, but also future generations who live on these lands... This component [depleted uranium] also strikes those who use this weapons," Zakharova said.
The remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin commented Tuesday on the UK’s plans to supply depleted uranium projectiles to Kiev, saying, "it seems that the West really decided to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian, not in words, but in deed."
"I would like to note in this regard that if all this happens, then Russia will be forced to react accordingly - I mean that the Collective West is already starting to use weapons with a nuclear component," Putin added.
He made the comments came after meetings with a delegation of high-level Chinese officials, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscored that the UK’s decision to provide Kiev with depleted uranium tank ammunition undermines global stability.
"I will not be surprised by this, because they have already lost perspective in terms of how these actions undermine strategic stability around the world," Lavrov told a Russian broadcaster.
The top Russian diplomat added that the decision shows that the UK is ready to not only take on risks, but also commit war crimes.
"If this is true, then they [UK authorities] are ready to not only just take risks, but violate the international humanitarian law, as it was in 1999 in Yugoslavia, and many other things, including war crimes, crimes against humanity," Lavrov said.
This was preceded by Goldie confirming on Monday that London would send armor-piercing rounds to Ukraine, which contain depleted uranium. She said the shells were effective in fighting tanks and would be part of London’s arms batch to Kiev that includes the Challenger 2 main battle tanks.
Depleted uranium is used in armor piercing projectiles due to its high density and the significant damage it causes after armor penetration. Nazi Germany was the first country to use depleted uranium for its tank shells due to the lack of more dense wolfram.