(Central News Agency) Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened today that if Ukraine obtains depleted uranium munitions from Western countries, Moscow will deploy the same munitions in Ukraine.

British authorities have confirmed plans to supply Kiev with the ammunition.

"It is no exaggeration to say that we have hundreds of thousands of these shells, but we have not used them," Putin said in an interview with Russian television, Agence France-Presse reported.

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He also said that these weapons "can be ranked among the most harmful and dangerous to human beings ... and the environment."

British authorities confirmed on the 20th that the ammunition to be provided to Ukraine contained depleted uranium (depleted uranium, also known as decayed uranium).

The reason why this heavy metal is used to make weapons is mainly because of its high density, which can penetrate tanks and armor more easily.

However, depleted uranium is controversial because it is toxic to soldiers who use the weapons and civilians in areas where the weapons are fired.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly emphasized on the 22nd of this month that Russia is the only country talking about the increased nuclear risk, and that depleted uranium bombs are traditional weapons, not nuclear weapons.

"There is no nuclear escalation. The only country in the world that talks about nuclear is Russia. Russia is not threatened, it's purely about helping Ukraine defend itself," he said on the occasion of announcing Britain's international science and technology strategy.

"It's worth making sure everyone understands that depleted uranium bombs don't have the word uranium in their name that means they are uranium bombs. These are not nuclear munitions, they are purely conventional munitions," Kovelli said. 1120326