MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Supplies of depleted-uranium shells to Kiev will force Moscow to ponder how it can respond, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.

"This leads us to seriously think about the further course of developments and about how we can respond to this," Shoigu said in an excerpt of an interview for the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Rossiya-1 television that journalist Pavel Zarubin posted on his Telegram channel.

The Russian defense minister also noted that NATO had already used such munitions "in Kosovo, Serbia, where they massively, without any sanctions… bombarded peaceful cities and destroyed bridges."

UK Defense Minister Baroness Annabel Goldie said earlier in the day in her written reply to a question from member of the House of Lords in the British parliament Raymond Jolliffe that the United Kingdom would supply Ukraine with depleted uranium shells with the increased power to pierce armor.

"Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles," Goldie said in a statement posted on the British parliament’s website.

The UK’s military aid to Ukraine amounted to about 2.3 billion British pounds (about $2.8 billion) in 2022. In particular, London sent over 10,000 NLAW anti-tank missile systems, more than 200 armored vehicles, M270 multiple launch rocket systems and Brimstone precision missiles.

In addition, British instructors trained over 10,000 Ukrainian military personnel. The UK authorities estimate humanitarian and economic aid rendered to Ukraine at 1.5 billion British pounds ($1.86 billion). In 2023, the British authorities intend to allocate at least $2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine.