London: Armed Forces Minister James Heappey stated that the UK government has already begun sending depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, noting that the British military would not make an effort to track where the weapons are used.

Heappey acknowledged on Tuesday that DU ammunition for the UK-made Challenger 2 tank had already arrived in Ukraine in response to questions from Scottish MP Kenny MacAskill, but he refrained from commenting on Kiev's "usage rates for the rounds provided."

He stated that "We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds," adding that the weapons "are now under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)" and that the Defence Ministry "does not monitor the locations from which DU rounds are fired by the AFU In ukraine.

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The minister responded that there is "no obligation" for the government to "help clear up depleted uranium rounds" that were used in Ukraine during the conflict, focusing instead on "Ukraine's immediate needs."

While Heappey has asserted that the risks to human health and the environment posed by depleted uranium are "low," he has done so by citing "monitoring of UK military veterans" carried out for a government study in 2007. However, more recent research indicates the munitions may in fact pose health risks.

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DU ammunition was widely used by the US during its two wars in Iraq, and some researchers believe the use of these weapons may have contributed to a wave of birth defects later discovered there.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory's Doug Weir claims that when DU penetrators hit a target, "they fragment and burn, generating chemically toxic and radioactive DU particulate that poses an inhalational risk to people." But the alleged risks have long been disputed by the governments of the US and the UK.

The Challenger 2 tank will primarily use DU rounds, so British and American advisers oversaw special training for Ukrainian soldiers in March. It is unknown if any of the 14 tanks that London previously promised to send to Ukraine have arrived on the front lines. 

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Moscow has urged against sending foreign weapons, particularly British DU munitions, to Kiev on numerous occasions. The Foreign Ministry has denounced London for its "absolute recklessness, irresponsibility, and impunity." The Russian military also issued a warning last month, citing the effects of the weapon in Iraq, that the use of uranium shells is likely to "cause irreparable harm" to Ukrainians' health and cause "tremendous economic damage to the agro-industrial complex" in the area.