Putin cautions Ukraine not to use new cluster bombs given by the US against Russian military.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine not to use cluster munitions against Russian forces, saying his country has a stockpile and may consider using them against Ukraine “if they are used against us.”
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Human rights organisations criticised the US decision to supply cluster bombs to Kyiv.
When fired near populated areas, the weapons are dangerous to civilians and noncombatants because they distribute explosive material, known as “bomblets,” across broad distances.
Those that do not explode on impact can detonate years later, creating a long-term risk to anyone who comes into contact with them, much like landmines.
Cluster munitions are made up of numerous explosions that are released over an area the size of several football fields. They can be dropped from the sky or launched from land or sea.
They are intended to detonate on contact, but up to one-third do not and pose a fatal risk to civilians for years to come.
Putin’s remarks come only days after Ukraine received a shipment of cluster munitions developed in the United States.
“Russia has a sufficient supply of various types of cluster munitions,” Putin remarked on Sunday, July 16, in an interview with a pro-Kremlin journalist.
“If they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror their actions.”
The threat presented by cluster weapons has motivated more than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Last week, US President Joe Biden stated that the decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine was “very difficult,” but he chose to do so because Kyiv requires more ammunition to continue its campaign to push Russian troops out of Ukrainian land.
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In his interview, Putin stated that he agreed with the Biden administration’s judgement that the deployment of cluster weapons was a war crime.
Putin also stated that Russia had not yet deployed cluster munitions, despite UN proof that Russian forces had fired cluster munitions in inhabited areas at least 24 times.
