Depleted Uranium Secondary Explosions Are Good for You - Ukrainian Officials Examining Situation

KYIV REGION - Ukrainian authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the recent events in Vyshneve.

According to President Zelensky, the situation remains "difficult" due to ongoing secondary detonations. Interior Minister Klymenko has been receiving hourly updates. The SBU and intelligence services have been ordered to establish "in detail what happened."

Several hundred residents were politely asked to leave the area because of the risk of further explosions.

Former Ukrainian MP and current opposition blogger Igor Mosiychuk (Ігор Мосійчук) has informed the world that the depot contained, among other things, depleted uranium rounds.

This has caused some sensationalist online excitement and the usual accusations that storing such materials next to residential buildings might not have been the most thoughtful urban planning decision.

Official sources have so far remained impressively disciplined on the matter.

There have been no dramatic statements about radiation, no emergency iodine distribution, and no dramatic footage of Geiger counters going wild. Evacuations are precautionary, and everything is being handled professionally.

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Ukrainian use of DU munitions

Depleted Uranium munition was kindly donated to Ukrainian freedom fight by the United Kingdom, who was the first to openly send DU rounds. In March 2023, alongside the 14 Challenger 2 tanks, they included armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium (the Charm 3 / L27 family).

United States initially said it would not send DU ammunition with the Abrams tanks, but changed its position in September 2023 under Biden Administration.

There are no confirmed reports of the Trump administration actively continuing or expanding deliveries of depleted uranium tank ammunition to Ukraine.

Russia strongly criticized the UK and US, calling it dangerous and “nuclear escalation.”

The UK and US have successfully used these well rounded munitions for decades, presenting them as highly effective armor-piercing weapons while leaving the long-term consequences to be argued over later, as is tradition.

Notable examples include the 1991 Gulf War, when around 300 metric tons of depleted uranium were fired in Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm; the 2003 Iraq War, where the UK reported using around 1.9 tonnes and wider estimates for U.S. use run far higher; and NATO operations in the Balkans during the 1990s, including Bosnia and Kosovo.

There was also confirmed U.S. use in Syria in 2015 under Obama administration, where A-10 aircraft fired thousands of DU rounds during strikes on Islamic State oil tanker convoys. Reports citing U.S. Central Command put this at over 5,000 rounds. 

Other countries - Germany, Poland - generally avoided supporting Ukrainian partners with DU ammunition and use tungsten-based rounds instead.

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Russian use of DU munitions in Ukraine

Ukrainian SBU claimed that laboratory testing confirmed the presence of depleted uranium (specifically Uranium-235 and Uranium-238) in the warhead fragments of a Russian R-60 missile mounted on a modified Geran-2 drone in May 2026 and stated they detected elevated radiation levels.

SBU was quick to warn the population about toxicity and radioactivity.

There was limited independent verification published.

Most of the reporting relied on the SBU’s statement.

No major international organization (like the IAEA) publicly commented on it.

Russia basically ignored the claim publicly.

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Health dangers

The good news is that the uranium is depleted.

This means it is much less radioactive than the enriched kind.

In many ways, it is the responsible, budget-friendly choice for a modern military depot located fifteen minutes from the capital.

The secondary explosions, while admittedly loud, help disperse the material more evenly across the neighborhood.

Some scientists even say low-level exposure can build character.

Photos of some birth defects reported from Fallujah General Hospital between May and August 2010. a Gastroschisis, b Hydrocephalus, c Encephalocele, d Macrocephaly, e Spina Bifida; f Cleft lip and palate

Depleted uranium is both weakly radioactive and chemically toxic as a heavy metal.

Potential of causing Congenital Birth Defects, Cancer, Immune System Disfunctions, Kidney Failure and affecting BCL-2 and PTEN oncogene gene expression were discussed.

In Iraq, particularly in areas such as Basra and Fallujah, doctors and researchers reported increases in cancers, birth defects, miscarriages, and abnormal birth outcomes after the wars.

However, proving depleted uranium as the sole cause has been impossible because civilians were also exposed to lead, mercury, explosives residue, oil-fire pollution, destroyed infrastructure, malnutrition, and collapsed medical systems.

Official bodies such as the WHO and UNSCEAR have stated that available evidence has not conclusively proven a direct population-level link between depleted uranium exposure and cancer or birth defects.

This means that while it is technically possible to be concerned, there is also ample room to not be.

There is little reason to treat this accidental redistribution a few kilometers outside Kyiv as an unprecedented catastrophe.

Residents are advised to remain calm and, if possible, downwind.

Slava Ukraini!

(...or so)