On Tuesday this week, the Russian embassy in Norway sent out a newsletter that contained several harsh warnings directed at NATO, in connection with the recent tank deliveries to Ukraine.
Reference was made here, among other things, to statements from the Russian delegation that attended an international security meeting in Vienna on 25 January.
– We warn Western sponsors of Kyiv’s military machine not to incite nuclear provocations or blackmail, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the delegation, told the assembly at the meeting.
He went on to exclaim what kind of “nuclear provocations” he was referring to:
– We know that the Leopard 2 tanks, like the Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, are equipped with APCR projectiles with a uranium core. The use of these leads to the contamination of areas, this happened in both Yugoslavia and Iraq, Gavrilov said, and then issued a strong warning:
Consequences
– If such projectiles are given to Kyiv, we will consider this as the use of dirty nuclear bombs, with all the consequences that entails, said the Russian delegate.
Chief researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI) Steinar Høibråten, tells Nettavisen that although Leopard 2 can use such ammunition, they do not need to.
– Norway has such tanks, and we do not use uranium ammunition, he exemplifies.
Can be discussed
– A tank that has been shelled with such will contain a lot of uranium dust after the attack. This is unhealthy to inhale. But it is very local. Uranium is everywhere, and we are all exposed to small amounts of it. Whether it can be called a dirty bomb is debatable, adds the chief scientist.
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Høibråten helped write a report on this type of ammunition in 2001. He believes it would not change the war in Ukraine if the ammunition was used there:
– Uranium is slightly radioactive, but of course should not be spread unrestrained. It is probably so dangerous because the toxicity as a heavy metal. There will be no “game changer” if it were to be used, concludes Høibråten.
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Uranium is used, among other things, to increase the weight of projectiles. In the FFI report Høibråten was involved in, it says:
“Uranium has properties that make it very suitable for armor-piercing ammunition, including very high density. The density is 1.7 times as high as for lead. This means that a high mass can be combined with a low diameter and thus give the projectile a high penetrating power. In addition, uranium is self-igniting on impact. Large parts of the uranium projectile will then be pulverized and explode into burning fragments, which will contribute to the devastating effect.”
