US supplies Kyiv with cluster munitions
Shoigu threatens to use “analogue means”
07/12/2023, 02:55 am
The Kremlin has reacted angrily to the US decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions. Russia’s Defense Minister Shoigu now sees his country forced to resort to internationally banned weapons. The Russian army has been using cluster bombs since the first months of the war.
Russia has threatened to use such weapons in the event of cluster munitions shipments from the United States to Ukraine. Russia also has cluster munitions, which are even more effective, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in Moscow. His country has so far held back, but would be forced to use “analogue means” in the event of US deliveries. According to human rights organizations, Russia has been using cluster munitions for the first few months in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Shoigu pointed out that neither the United States, Ukraine, nor Russia have signed the international treaty banning cluster munitions. Their use will prolong the war, said the minister.
The bombs exploding above the ground spread projectiles over larger areas. Because many of them often do not explode immediately, like mines they are a danger to civilians even after the end of hostilities. Germany and 110 other countries have therefore outlawed them with an international agreement.
The Russian armed forces are currently taking additional precautions to protect against cluster bombs, Shoigu said. According to a video released by the ministry, he visited an armaments factory. He said that the supply of weapons and ammunition to Russian soldiers had increased many times over.
Kremlin claims to have fended off Ukrainian attacks
At the same time, Shoigu contradicted analyzes by Western experts and statements from Kiev about the success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukraine has not yet reached its goal on any section of the front. On the other hand, the Ukraine had recently reported larger gains in territory. Russian military bloggers also confirmed Moscow’s losses.
Shoigu claimed that not only were the Ukrainian attacks repelled in many places; on the contrary, the Russian army in the Luhansk region advanced further in counterattacks. The head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had repeatedly accused Shoigu of “lying”. Once again, Shoigu said that masses of Western combat technology had been destroyed, including 17 Leopard tanks from Germany. This cannot be independently verified.