Russia says UK wants to turn Ukraine into ‘scorched, deserted’ land

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Monday said the UK wants to turn Ukraine into “a scorched and deserted” land by supplying Kyiv with shells containing depleted uranium.

“Britain, supplying depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, wants to turn its territory into a scorched and deserted land. They won’t speak Russian there, they won’t speak Ukrainian, there will be silence in general. As in Pripyat and Chernobyl,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

The UK announced late March that it will supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition.

The decision was met with fierce criticism from Russia as President Vladimir Putin said the country will respond, and later announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry said the move was "further proof of London’s intention to aggravate the confrontation” and contradicted the UK’s claim of being “committed to the post-conflict rebuilding” of Ukraine.

The UK has defended sending depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, saying it is a “standard component,” and accused Moscow of "deliberately trying to disinform."

*Burak Bir in London contributed to this story