Ukraine Has Uranium Projectiles, But Not in the Army
The Balkan uranium story has become a test for one of the rather young branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ecological Safety Service of the Radiological- Chemical-Bacteriological (RCB) Defense. However, military environmentalists “have been put through their paces” more than once since they were set up in 1995, so last year’s Pervomaisk story and the current work in Kosovo are only fragments. We spoke with Col. Ihor MAZOR, head of this service and deputy commander of RCB Defense, about activities of our military Greenpeace and the Balkan depleted uranium situation.
“Sir, nineteen countries are now worried over the deployment of depleted uranium ammunition in the Balkans and peacekeeping forces stationed in the regions are being carefully examined. What can you say about our blue helmets?”
“As you know, as soon as information about NATO using such munitions in Kosovo was made public, we sent a group of experts to the places our units were stationed. We conducted a tentative checkup of all personnel and equipment as well as of radiological hazards there. Among other things, we measured radiation in the living quarters and offices. I can say with certainty that the current level of radiation is within allowable limits.”
“But can there be some isolated hotbeds of radiation?”
“We have scrutinized the documents on NATO hostilities. I must say there are two points near where our peacekeepers are staying that were air strike targets. But we have no information that uranium ammunition was used here. Nor was this confirmed by our tentative study, the results of which have been reported to the Ministry of Defense. Still, it was decided to carry out a new in-depth examination of the whole area our units are responsible for in Kosovo, as well as a medical checkup of the peacekeepers. They have now been examined in a KFOR hospital. Somewhat later, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense will conduct its own checkup. Besides, a group of our department experts and military medics is going to Kosovo on January 23.”
“And what is going to be done with our peacekeepers who have already returned?”
“Of course, we have not forgotten them. About 9,000 Ukrainian officers and men have seen service in the peacekeeping contingent since 1996. The minister of defense has ordered all of them examined. Those still on active duty are being sent to military hospitals. It is more difficult to deal with those who have retired, but they will be found by draft and registration boards and also sent to military medical institutions. Where the latter are absent, these people will be treated in civilian hospitals. We have already made an agreement to this effect with the Ministry of Health. I can say we don’t have any information at present that any former peacekeepers have suffered from uranium. You should understand that what we are doing is really tremendous work: it is a question of thousands of people many of whom are now out of uniform. But, in any case, the final data will be known by February 10.”
“Can the current Ukrainian blue helmets catch uranium now, for example, through potable water or in any other way?”
“No chance. Our peacekeepers consume plastic-bottled water brought from Greece. They don’t use local water and foodstuffs. Besides, we have now furnished them with more accurate dosimeters, and as a result the contingent can now monitor the radiation level on its own and with greater precision.”
“We know that the Ukrainian Army has depleted uranium ammunition in its arsenals. Will the Balkan scandal affect their use?”
“This is not quite a correct statement because our troops are not armed with this kind of ammunition. But it is true that the Soviet Army had it and left some on the territory of Ukraine. I will note at once that it was made back in the sixties and are now very obsolete. Well before our state was proclaimed independent, most of these munitions were taken out of the territory of Ukraine and scrapped. According to the documents, our troops have used such ammunition, and this is beyond a shadow of a doubt. A special commission is working now to recheck the marking on the stored projectiles, find the exact number of the uranium-filled rounds, and draw up recommendations about how to dispose of them.”
“Are they going to be disposed of in a faraway place, in a deep hole, as often happens in this country?”
“Of course not. We will do this according to law. Ukrainian military and civilian specialists are designing methods of recycling, not burying, as you put it, in a deep hole. The ammunition is most likely to be scrapped like any other kind and its components containing uranium will be taken to ore-enrichment plants for energy-generation purposes. At least, this is one possible option. That there will be no burials is beyond doubt.”
“How many uranium bombs has Ukraine inherited?”
“The commission I mentioned will have to state the exact figure, but it involves a very small quantity, and incidentally the term bomb is out of place here. It is a question of small caliber air-to-surface projectiles. I also want to say that storage and maintenance manuals have so far contained no special comments on these munitions, for they really are safe to store: the radiation level around the shell itself, even if it exceeds the natural background level, will never reach the prescribed limit. It should be remembered that the strike effect of these shells is not at all caused by radiation: depleted uranium is used to increase piercing power in order to hit armored vehicles. A projectile can be ecologically hazardous after explosion, when the fragments and dust get into the air. Some experts claim this forms uranium oxides which can accumulate in the human body as heavy metal salts. But the stored shells present no danger to man.”
“Some Ukrainian proving grounds host joint Ukrainian- NATO exercises. Can our partners be using this kind of ammunition in practice firings?”
“Now there are two proving grounds on the territory of Ukraine, Yavorivsky in Lviv oblast and Shyroky Lan in Mykolayiv oblast, which enjoy international status. What kind of exercises are held there? Rehearsing peacekeeping operations. If it is necessary to try out or master some tactical and technical actions involving the hitting of armored vehicles or reinforced targets, conventional ammunition is used. Besides, we are now developing our concept of ecological safety for these grounds. I don’t think your supposition is correct.”
“Nevertheless, last October in Kyiv, addressing an international conference on artillery, NATO’s LG-4 group experts expressed a desire to use our test grounds, particularly the Honcharivsk Artillery Research Center in Chernihiv oblast to test weapon prototypes. They even named the first practice-fire candidate: the most up-to-date PzH- 2000 German howitzer. But such weapons can and are even supposed to fire precisely this kind of projectiles.”
“Even if the question of testing Western artillery systems on our proving grounds was raised, it was only in theory. At least today, I am certain no one is leasing the Honcharivsk facility. In any case, while uranium ammunition was not a pressing problem earlier, as I said, now this issue is certain to be taken into account. All I know for sure is that no exercises with such shells have ever been held on the territory of Ukraine. I think now, after the Balkan syndrome, the use of such ammunition on our territory could be prohibited by law. Some European countries are already addressing this problem. We cannot rule out that, given the international repercussions, the question of a complete ban on the production and use of these munitions could be raised quite seriously.”
