In an interview published on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia possesses an ample supply of cluster munitions and cautioned that Russia retains the right to respond if Ukraine employs these contentious weapons.
This marks Putin’s first public comments on the delivery of cluster munitions from the United States to Ukraine. He stated that Russia has not yet used cluster bombs in the conflict with Ukraine, although the use of such munitions by both Russia and Ukraine has been extensively documented by sources like The Associated Press and international humanitarian organizations. In fact, remnants of cluster rounds have been discovered following Russian attacks.
“We have not done this, we have not used it, and we have not had such a need until now,” Putin remarked.
Excerpts of the interview were shared on Sunday through the Telegram channel of Rossiya TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, ahead of the scheduled broadcast later that evening.
Last Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed that the United States had delivered cluster munitions to Ukraine. These munitions, which consist of bombs that disperse smaller bomblets upon detonation, are intended to provide critical ammunition to Kyiv and support its offensive against Russian front lines. The issue of supplying cluster munitions was extensively debated among U.S. leaders before President Joe Biden made the final decision last week.
Cluster bombs have faced longstanding criticism from humanitarian groups and some U.S. allies due to their high rate of unexploded bomblets, which can pose risks to civilians long after a conflict ends. Proponents argue that Russia has already used cluster munitions in Ukraine and that the weapons provided by the U.S. have been enhanced to reduce the number of unexploded rounds. Ukraine has pledged to use them only in non-populated areas.
According to the Ukrainian military’s regular update on Sunday morning, Russia launched various attacks in the past 24 hours, including the deployment of Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones, cruise missiles, anti-aircraft guided missiles, airstrikes, and rocket launcher attacks.
The Ukrainian General Staff stated that Russia continues to focus on offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial eastern region. Governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported two deaths and one injury among residents of the region due to a Russian attack on Saturday.
In the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed that seven people were injured during a Russian attack on Sunday evening.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar noted that fighting in eastern Ukraine had intensified to some extent. She described Russia’s active attacks in the Kupiansk area of the northeastern Kharkiv region, while Ukrainian forces remained on the defensive. Maliar added that fierce battles resulted in dynamic shifts in positions throughout the day.
Maliar also reported that Ukrainian troops were striving to maintain their positions on the northern flank near the destroyed city of Bakhmut, but progress was being made daily on the southern flank as they aimed to encircle the city, which fell to Russian control in May.
In another excerpt published by Zarubin, Putin claimed that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had been futile. He stated, “All attempts by the enemy to break through our defenses… have been unsuccessful throughout the offensive. The enemy is not achieving any success!”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, two boys aged 8 and 10 were wounded when an explosive device, left by Russian forces, detonated in the southern region of Kherson on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that Russia had carried out 69 shelling attacks in the Kherson region. Additionally, a 59-year-old man lost his life while attempting to disarm a round in the regional capital of Kherson.
Yurii Malashko, the governor of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region (partly occupied by Russia), stated that Russia had attacked 13 populated areas, injuring seven people in the town of Stepnohirsk.
Meanwhile, in Russia-occupied Crimea, authorities reported a “massive and prolonged” drone attack targeting Sevastopol, the largest port on the peninsula hosting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. According to Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, all of the drones were successfully shot down by air defense systems, and no damage was inflicted.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, revealed that a woman was killed on Sunday by shelling in the town of Shebekino near the border with Ukraine.
{Matzav.com}
Just curious, when this whole thing started Putin was supposedly deathly ill. Was that fake news or did he miraculously get better?
The real Putin is long dead. This new “Putin” (like “Biden”) has many actors playing his parts. One of the actors might have been ill.
It’s an actor doing an amazing job.