Cluster Bombs Used By Ukraine Having An Impact On Russian Defensive Formations, Says White House
Ukraine has pledged to use the bombs only to knock over concentrations of Russian enemy soldiers.
The White House on Thursday said that Ukraine has been using the controversial cluster munitions supplied by the United States quite effectively. "We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they're using them quite effectively," Kirby said at a news briefing, as quoted by Reuters. Ukraine has pledged to use the bombs only to knock over concentrations of Russian enemy soldiers. Kirby said the cluster munitions are impacting Russian defensive formations and maneuvering.
The bombs from the United States arrived in Ukraine last week after the announcement as the conflict with Russia continues, reported Reuters. The cluster munitions, banned in more than 100 countries, are a part of an $800-million security package offered by the US. However, Ukraine pledged that it will only use the bombs to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers, Reuters said in the report. The Pentagon also announced their arrival, the report added.
Meanwhile, Russia denounced their shipment. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Thursday that Moscow could resort to deploying similar weaponry if faced with their use, Reuters mentioned in the report. Ukrainian officials said that their deployment is justified in view of Russia's mining of vast tracts of land it has seized. Notably, Ukraine launched a counter-offensive more than 500 days into the war. The Ukrainian military focused on capturing groups of villages in the southeast and retaking areas around the eastern city of Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces in May, added Reuters in the report.
"This will further demotivate Russian occupying forces and fundamentally change things in favour of the Ukrainian armed forces," Shershen told US-funded Radio Liberty, as quoted by Reuters. He added that the munitions would be used strictly within the legal framework, "only for the deoccupation of our territories".
"They will not be used on Russian territory...They will be used only in areas where Russian military forces are concentrated in order to break through enemy defences," he was further quoted as saying by Reuters.
Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of using cluster bombs in the conflict launched by Russia's invasion in February 2022.
As per Reuters, Human Rights Watch said both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine and the US have not signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons, Reuters added in the report.
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