Russia Says US Supply of Depleted Uranium Weapons to Ukraine is 'Criminal'

(FILES) A US Army M1A2 Abrams battle tank is pictured during a joint military tactical training exercise "Balkan Sentinel 21" with Bulgaria's and Georgia's armies at Novo Selo military ground on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
(FILES) A US Army M1A2 Abrams battle tank is pictured during a joint military tactical training exercise "Balkan Sentinel 21" with Bulgaria's and Georgia's armies at Novo Selo military ground on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
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Russia Says US Supply of Depleted Uranium Weapons to Ukraine is 'Criminal'

(FILES) A US Army M1A2 Abrams battle tank is pictured during a joint military tactical training exercise "Balkan Sentinel 21" with Bulgaria's and Georgia's armies at Novo Selo military ground on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
(FILES) A US Army M1A2 Abrams battle tank is pictured during a joint military tactical training exercise "Balkan Sentinel 21" with Bulgaria's and Georgia's armies at Novo Selo military ground on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that the US supply of depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine was "a criminal act", state media reported.

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine, including depleted uranium ammunition for US Abrams tanks.

A by-product of uranium enrichment, depleted uranium is used for ammunition because its extreme density gives rounds the ability to easily penetrate armor plating. Critics say there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

"This is not just an escalatory step, but it is a reflection of Washington’s outrageous disregard for the environmental consequences of using this kind of ammunition in a combat zone. This is, in fact, a criminal act, I cannot give any other assessment," TASS quoted Ryabkov as saying.

In a speech at a security seminar, he also reiterated previous warnings by Russia about the risk of a nuclear war, because of what he called Western "pressure" on Moscow.

"Now this pressure is dangerously balancing on the brink of direct armed conflict between nuclear powers," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Russia has long accused the West of using Ukraine to wage a proxy war aimed at inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Moscow. The United States and its allies say they are arming Ukraine to defend itself against Russia's invasion and recover territory seized by Moscow in the course of the 18-month war.

Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was proceeding on schedule, Ryabkov said.

"Several stages have now been completed in terms of creating the appropriate infrastructure and re-equipping the corresponding carriers. This work continues."



Mexico Plans Alert App for Migrants Facing Arrest in US after Trump Threats of Deportations

A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
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Mexico Plans Alert App for Migrants Facing Arrest in US after Trump Threats of Deportations

A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP

Mexico will launch a mobile application with an alert button for migrants facing imminent detention in the United States, the government said Friday, following President-elect Donald Trump's threats of mass deportations.

"If you find yourself facing imminent arrest, you press an alert button that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente told a news conference, AFP reported.

The app, which is expected to be ready in January, will also notify the person's family and the Mexican foreign ministry, he added.

There were an estimated four million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States in 2022, according to the US-based Pew Research Center.

Mexico has dozens of consulates across the neighboring country.

The Mexican government has been in talks with other countries including Guatemala and Honduras about their own contingency plans for possible mass deportations after Trump takes office on January 20, according to De la Fuente.

He said there would be a ministerial-level meeting between countries that are sources of migrants later to discuss the issue.

Trump has promised to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico and expel millions who lack residency papers, calling the arrival of migrants an "invasion."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her government is preparing a document highlighting the contribution of Mexican workers to the US economy.