Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the Russian Federation has responsibilities to address regarding bullets containing depleted uranium. The remark came during a broadcast on the Russia-24 television channel, where the leader spoke about the existence of vast stockpiles of such ammunition and the fact that they have not yet been deployed in combat scenarios.
Putin noted that Russia possesses hundreds of thousands of rounds of this ammunition, emphasising that they are not in active use at present. He suggested that any potential accountability would arise from the broader implications of possessing such arms and the international consequences tied to their potential deployment.
In other developments, plans are underway for Russia to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The Russian president indicated that, by July 1, 2023, the construction of a storage facility intended for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would be completed. He also recalled that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had long advocated for the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal within Belarus, framing the arrangement as a longstanding security consideration between the two countries.
Earlier, Andrei Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, visited London and commented on the broader issue of arms transfers and usage. He underscored claims about the supply of depleted uranium–containing shells reaching Kyiv, and asserted that British forces have employed such shells since the 1990s, across theatres including the Persian Gulf and the conflict in Yugoslavia. The ambassador’s remarks were presented as part of a broader narrative about longstanding military material transfers and the role they have played in various regional conflicts.