"Russia certainly does possess depleted uranium ammunition, in...

"Russia certainly does possess depleted uranium ammunition, in particular high-velocity armor-piercing tank rounds which are the exact counterparts of those that the U.K. will be supplying Ukraine," military technology expert David Hambling told Newsweek. De Bretton-Gordon agreed that the Russian DU munitions "must be very similar" to Western stocks.

Since 1982, Russia has used several types of DU tank rounds, including variants of the "Svinets" rounds, William Alberque, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, told Newsweek.

Russian state media has previously publicized the upgrading of Russian main battle tanks, including the T-80BV, to be capable of firing DU rounds. One Russian expert told state outlet Tass in 2018 that the use of DU munitions did not violate any international agreements.

Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta similarly reported in 2018 that DU ammunition upgrades would be made for the T-72 and T-90 tanks.

There is currently no concrete evidence of Russia using DU in Ukraine, but it "would be incongruous if they're not using it," de Bretton-Gordon said. DU rounds are a "key part of their armory," he added.