Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir Putin An interview published on Sunday said Moscow had “substantial stockpiles” of cluster munitions, and warned Russia “reserves the right to take reciprocal action” if ukraine Uses controversial weapons.
In his first comments on the delivery of cluster weapons from the US to Ukraine, Putin said that Russia has not yet used cluster bombs in the war with Ukraine. But the use of cluster bombs by both Russia and Ukraine has been widely documented, including by the Associated Press and international humanitarian organizations, and cluster bombs have been found after Russian attacks.
He said, “So far we have not done this, we have not used it and we have not had any such need.”
russia tv reporter Pavel Zarubin Published excerpts of the interview on his Telegram channel on Sunday, ahead of the scheduled broadcast on Sunday night.
The Pentagon said on Thursday that cluster weapons provided by the United States have arrived in Ukraine.
The munitions, which are bombs that open in the air and release multiple small bombs, were used by the US to obtain critically needed ammunition to help Kiev mount its offensive and advance through the Russian front lines. seen as a method. US leaders debated the vexing issue for months, before President Joe Biden made a final decision last week.
Cluster bombs have long been criticized by humanitarian groups and some US allies because the bombs used in previous conflicts had a high “defective rate”, meaning they often left unexploded bombs that ended the war. They can harm civilians even long after they happen.
Proponents argue that Russia is already using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that the weapons the US is providing have been reformed to release too few unexploded rounds. Ukraine has promised to use them away from densely populated areas.
In a regular update on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military said that in the past 24 hours, Russia had launched two Iranian-made Shaheed explosive drones, two cruise missiles and two anti-aircraft guided missiles, in addition to 40 airstrikes and 46 strikes. rocket launcher.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote that Russia is focusing on offensive operations in the industrial east of Ukraine. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said on Sunday that two residents of the region were killed on Saturday, and another person was injured.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliyar said on Sunday that fighting in eastern Ukraine has “somewhat intensified” amid a slow counteroffensive, with Ukraine making slight territorial gains.
Writing on Telegram, he said that Russia had been “actively attacking” in the direction of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region for two consecutive days, and that Ukrainian forces were “on the defensive” in the area.
“Fierce fighting is taking place, with positions on both sides changing dynamically several times a day,” he wrote.
Maliar wrote that Ukrainian forces were trying to maintain their positions on the northern flank around the destroyed town of Bakhmut, but reported that Ukrainian forces were “advancing daily” on the southern flank. Ukraine has been trying to besiege the city since it lost control to Russia in May.
In another piece published by Zarubin, Putin claimed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was futile.
“All attempts by the enemy to break our defenses…they were unsuccessful during the entire assault. The enemy is not getting any success!” Putin said.
Elsewhere in the country, two boys aged 8 and 10 were injured when an explosive device left by the Russian military detonated in the southern region of Kherson on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office.
The regional governor, Alexander Prokudin, said Russia had carried out 69 shelling attacks against the Kherson region. A 59-year-old man died on Saturday while attempting to disarm a weapon in the regional capital, also known as Kherson.
The governor of the neighboring, partially occupied Zaporizhia region, Yuri Malashko, said Russia had struck 13 populated areas in the region, injuring seven people in the city of Stepnohirsk.
Moscow-set officials in Russian-occupied Crimea on Sunday reported a “large-scale and prolonged” drone strike overnight targeting Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest port that hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Gave. According to Mikhail Razvozev, the governor of Sevastopol established by Moscow, all the drones were shot down by air defense systems and there was no damage.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said a woman was killed in shelling on Sunday in the town of Shebykino, near the border with Ukraine.
In his first comments on the delivery of cluster weapons from the US to Ukraine, Putin said that Russia has not yet used cluster bombs in the war with Ukraine. But the use of cluster bombs by both Russia and Ukraine has been widely documented, including by the Associated Press and international humanitarian organizations, and cluster bombs have been found after Russian attacks.
He said, “So far we have not done this, we have not used it and we have not had any such need.”
russia tv reporter Pavel Zarubin Published excerpts of the interview on his Telegram channel on Sunday, ahead of the scheduled broadcast on Sunday night.
The Pentagon said on Thursday that cluster weapons provided by the United States have arrived in Ukraine.
The munitions, which are bombs that open in the air and release multiple small bombs, were used by the US to obtain critically needed ammunition to help Kiev mount its offensive and advance through the Russian front lines. seen as a method. US leaders debated the vexing issue for months, before President Joe Biden made a final decision last week.
Cluster bombs have long been criticized by humanitarian groups and some US allies because the bombs used in previous conflicts had a high “defective rate”, meaning they often left unexploded bombs that ended the war. They can harm civilians even long after they happen.
Proponents argue that Russia is already using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that the weapons the US is providing have been reformed to release too few unexploded rounds. Ukraine has promised to use them away from densely populated areas.
In a regular update on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military said that in the past 24 hours, Russia had launched two Iranian-made Shaheed explosive drones, two cruise missiles and two anti-aircraft guided missiles, in addition to 40 airstrikes and 46 strikes. rocket launcher.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote that Russia is focusing on offensive operations in the industrial east of Ukraine. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said on Sunday that two residents of the region were killed on Saturday, and another person was injured.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliyar said on Sunday that fighting in eastern Ukraine has “somewhat intensified” amid a slow counteroffensive, with Ukraine making slight territorial gains.
Writing on Telegram, he said that Russia had been “actively attacking” in the direction of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region for two consecutive days, and that Ukrainian forces were “on the defensive” in the area.
“Fierce fighting is taking place, with positions on both sides changing dynamically several times a day,” he wrote.
Maliar wrote that Ukrainian forces were trying to maintain their positions on the northern flank around the destroyed town of Bakhmut, but reported that Ukrainian forces were “advancing daily” on the southern flank. Ukraine has been trying to besiege the city since it lost control to Russia in May.
In another piece published by Zarubin, Putin claimed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was futile.
“All attempts by the enemy to break our defenses…they were unsuccessful during the entire assault. The enemy is not getting any success!” Putin said.
Elsewhere in the country, two boys aged 8 and 10 were injured when an explosive device left by the Russian military detonated in the southern region of Kherson on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office.
The regional governor, Alexander Prokudin, said Russia had carried out 69 shelling attacks against the Kherson region. A 59-year-old man died on Saturday while attempting to disarm a weapon in the regional capital, also known as Kherson.
The governor of the neighboring, partially occupied Zaporizhia region, Yuri Malashko, said Russia had struck 13 populated areas in the region, injuring seven people in the city of Stepnohirsk.
Moscow-set officials in Russian-occupied Crimea on Sunday reported a “large-scale and prolonged” drone strike overnight targeting Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest port that hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Gave. According to Mikhail Razvozev, the governor of Sevastopol established by Moscow, all the drones were shot down by air defense systems and there was no damage.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said a woman was killed in shelling on Sunday in the town of Shebykino, near the border with Ukraine.