Ukrainian radiation – The Security Service of Ukraine says it found an unexploded Russian R-60 air-to-air missile with a depleted uranium warhead after an April attack on Kamka in Chernihiv Oblast, and detected harmful radiation levels at the site. Ukrainian investigators say they
For days after the April attack on Kamka, a village in Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast, the danger wasn’t just the unexploded munition left behind—it was what investigators say they found inside it.
The Security Service of Ukraine said it detected harmful radiation from unexploded. Russian air-to-air missiles fired at northern Ukraine. according to a new report by The Telegraph. The SBU reportedly discovered an unexploded R-60 air-to-air missile armed with a depleted uranium warhead after the attack on Kamka in April.
The missile. Per The Kyiv Independent. was attached to a modified Geran-2 drone—an Iranian-designed kamikaze drone that has been mass-produced and used frequently by Russian forces in Ukraine. That connection matters because it ties the unexploded weapon to a broader pattern of strikes involving loitering munitions in the war’s northern corridors.
According to the reporting, the unexploded R-60 emanated harmful levels of radiation, including from Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. Investigators say they detected a gamma radiation level of 12 microsieverts per hour. which they describe as particularly detrimental to human health after long-term or cumulative exposure.
The SBU also warned civilians about what to do if they encounter fragments of UAVs, missiles, or other munitions, urging extra care. Investigators said burnt munitions are where the greatest harm can come from, because the radioactive dust is released.
Depleted uranium is described in the reporting as a by-product of the uranium enrichment process that is normally less radioactive than natural uranium. but it is extremely dense. The material can pierce heavy armor, including tank armor. The reporting states that when depleted uranium strikes a tank. it pierces and then erupts into a “burning cloud” of vapor.
Ukraine says the discovery has already moved from investigation to legal action. The SBU has allegedly opened a pre-trial criminal investigation for war crimes against Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent reports that SBU. along with units of the State Emergency Service and Ukrainian Armed Forces. securely transported the warhead to a radioactive waste storage facility.
The radiation finding comes as broader uranium-related developments continue to swirl around the war. It lands amid recent reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to transport and store Iranian enriched uranium in Russia.
The timing is also sharp. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine beginning on May 9. By the next day, both countries accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
In the space between the ceasefire announcement and the counter-accusations, Ukraine’s account adds another layer of escalation pressure—centered not only on what weapons were used, but on what their remains could do to people long after the explosions.
Ukraine Security Service of Ukraine SBU depleted uranium R-60 missile Geran-2 drone radioactive waste storage facility Chernihiv Oblast Kamka Vladimir Putin Donald Trump ceasefire May 9 Russia-Ukraine war crimes investigation