It was only NATO countries that used depleted uranium shells in wars

It was only NATO countries that have used depleted uranium ammunition in military conflicts, Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces told reporters on Friday, March 24.

"Mind you, it was only NATO countries that used depleted uranium munitions in armed conflicts," Kirillov stated.

In 2003-2004, the United States used similar munitions in attacks on targets in Iraqi cities. According to the UN, US troops used at least 300 tons of depleted uranium in Iraq.

The radiation background in the city of Fallujah, Kirillov said, turned out to be worse than in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the nuclear bombings.

Earlier, British Deputy Defense Minister Annabelle Goldie said that London would deliver a batch of depleted uranium shells to Ukraine as part of a military aid package.

Russian President Vladimir Putin later noted that Russia would be forced to respond should the West supply weapons with a nuclear component to Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that such a move of the West would bring nuclear apocalypse even closer.