Ukraine reports discovery of depleted uranium in drone missile wreckage

Ukrainian officials have reported the discovery of a missile containing depleted uranium components used in a Russian drone attack last month, warning that the wreckage poses a radiological hazard. The Security Service of Ukraine stated that an unexploded R-60 air-to-air missile, mounted on a modified Iranian-designed Geran-2 drone, was recovered following an attack on the village of Kamka in Chernihiv Oblast on April 7.

Specialists conducting a radiation survey near the wreckage recorded a gamma radiation level of 12 microsieverts per hour, a reading dozens of times higher than typical natural background levels, which range from 0.05 to 0.3 microsieverts per hour. The agency attributed the radiation to the presence of Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 within the missile's warhead. The fragments were subsequently treated and transported to a radioactive waste storage facility.

In a public statement, the security service urged citizens to exercise extreme caution, noting that damaged or burnt munitions can release radioactive and toxic dust. Officials warned people not to approach, touch, or move any such wreckage and to immediately report findings to authorities.