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Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir put it in He said in an interview published Sunday that Moscow had “sufficient stocks” of cluster munitions, and warned that Russia “reserves the right to take reciprocal measures” if Ukraine uses the controversial weapons.
In his first comments on the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine from the United States, Putin said that Russia had not used cluster bombs in the war with Ukraine yet. 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 rounds have been found in the aftermath of Russian strikes.
“So far, we haven’t done it, we haven’t used it, and we’ve never had such a need,” he said.
Russia TV Correspondent Pavel Zarubin He posted excerpts from the interview to his Telegram channel on Sunday ahead of the scheduled Sunday evening broadcast.
The Pentagon said Thursday that cluster munitions provided by the United States had arrived in Ukraine.
The munitions, which are bombs that burst into the air and release dozens of small bombs, are seen by the United States as a way to get Kiev’s much-needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russia’s front lines. US leaders debated this thorny issue for months, before President Joe Biden made the final decision last week.
Cluster bombs have long been criticized by humanitarian groups and some US allies, because bombs used in past conflicts have had a high “explosion rate,” meaning they often leave behind unexploded submunitions that can harm civilians long after a battle is over.
Supporters argue that Russia is already using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that US-supplied weapons have been improved to leave far fewer unexploded ordnance behind. And Ukraine promised to use it only away from densely populated areas.
In a periodic update on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military said that over the past 24 hours, Russia launched two Iranian-made Shahed drones, two cruise missiles, and two anti-aircraft guided missiles, in addition to 40 airstrikes and 46 attacks from several aircraft. Rocket launchers.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote that Russia continues to focus on offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east. Donetsk region 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 Malyar said on Sunday that fighting in eastern Ukraine had “intensified somewhat”, amid a slow counter-offensive in which Ukraine made small gains on the ground.
Writing in Telegram, she said that Russia had been “actively attacking” in the direction of Kobyansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region for two consecutive days, and that Ukrainian forces were “on the defensive” in the area.
“There are fierce battles and the positions of both sides change dynamically several times a day,” she wrote.
Malyar wrote that Ukrainian forces were trying to hold their positions on the northern side around the destroyed city of Bakhmut, but reported that Ukrainian forces were “advancing daily” on the southern side. Ukraine has been trying to encircle the city since it lost control to Russia in May.
Putin claimed that the Ukrainian counterattack was futile, in another excerpt posted by Zarubin.
“All the enemy’s attempts to break through our defenses … were unsuccessful during the entire offensive. The enemy is not succeeding!” Putin said.
Elsewhere in the country, two boys, ages 8 and 10, were injured when an explosive device left behind by Russian forces detonated in the southern Kherson region on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office.
Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russia had launched 69 bombing attacks on the Kherson region. A 59-year-old man died on Saturday while trying to disarm a tour in the regional capital, also called Kherson.
Russia attacked 13 populated areas in the region, injuring seven people in the town of Stepnohersk, said Yuri Malashko, governor of the neighboring, partially occupied Zaporizhia region.
Moscow-installed authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported on Sunday an “intense and prolonged” drone attack overnight targeting Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest port, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. According to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvojev, all the drones were shot down by air defense systems and no damage occurred.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said a woman was killed Sunday by shelling in the town of Chebykino, near the border with Ukraine.
In his first comments on the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine from the United States, Putin said that Russia had not used cluster bombs in the war with Ukraine yet. 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 rounds have been found in the aftermath of Russian strikes.
“So far, we haven’t done it, we haven’t used it, and we’ve never had such a need,” he said.
Russia TV Correspondent Pavel Zarubin He posted excerpts from the interview to his Telegram channel on Sunday ahead of the scheduled Sunday evening broadcast.
The Pentagon said Thursday that cluster munitions provided by the United States had arrived in Ukraine.
The munitions, which are bombs that burst into the air and release dozens of small bombs, are seen by the United States as a way to get Kiev’s much-needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russia’s front lines. US leaders debated this thorny issue for months, before President Joe Biden made the final decision last week.
Cluster bombs have long been criticized by humanitarian groups and some US allies, because bombs used in past conflicts have had a high “explosion rate,” meaning they often leave behind unexploded submunitions that can harm civilians long after a battle is over.
Supporters argue that Russia is already using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that US-supplied weapons have been improved to leave far fewer unexploded ordnance behind. And Ukraine promised to use it only away from densely populated areas.
In a periodic update on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military said that over the past 24 hours, Russia launched two Iranian-made Shahed drones, two cruise missiles, and two anti-aircraft guided missiles, in addition to 40 airstrikes and 46 attacks from several aircraft. Rocket launchers.
The Ukrainian General Staff wrote that Russia continues to focus on offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east. Donetsk region 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 Malyar said on Sunday that fighting in eastern Ukraine had “intensified somewhat”, amid a slow counter-offensive in which Ukraine made small gains on the ground.
Writing in Telegram, she said that Russia had been “actively attacking” in the direction of Kobyansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region for two consecutive days, and that Ukrainian forces were “on the defensive” in the area.
“There are fierce battles and the positions of both sides change dynamically several times a day,” she wrote.
Malyar wrote that Ukrainian forces were trying to hold their positions on the northern side around the destroyed city of Bakhmut, but reported that Ukrainian forces were “advancing daily” on the southern side. Ukraine has been trying to encircle the city since it lost control to Russia in May.
Putin claimed that the Ukrainian counterattack was futile, in another excerpt posted by Zarubin.
“All the enemy’s attempts to break through our defenses … were unsuccessful during the entire offensive. The enemy is not succeeding!” Putin said.
Elsewhere in the country, two boys, ages 8 and 10, were injured when an explosive device left behind by Russian forces detonated in the southern Kherson region on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office.
Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russia had launched 69 bombing attacks on the Kherson region. A 59-year-old man died on Saturday while trying to disarm a tour in the regional capital, also called Kherson.
Russia attacked 13 populated areas in the region, injuring seven people in the town of Stepnohersk, said Yuri Malashko, governor of the neighboring, partially occupied Zaporizhia region.
Moscow-installed authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported on Sunday an “intense and prolonged” drone attack overnight targeting Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest port, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. According to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvojev, all the drones were shot down by air defense systems and no damage occurred.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said a woman was killed Sunday by shelling in the town of Chebykino, near the border with Ukraine.
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