Will retaliate if Ukraine uses cluster ammunition: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country has a “sufficient” stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine if they are used against Moscow

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country has a “sufficient” stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine if they are used against Moscow.

Russia has a sufficient supply of various types of cluster munitions, the President said during an interview with local Russian media. “If they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror actions.”

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Putin’s remarks came just days after Ukraine received delivery of American-made cluster munitions from the US. The weapons are particularly dangerous to civilians and non-combatants when fired near populated areas because they scatter explosive material, so-called bomblets, across large areas.

Those that fail to explode on impact can detonate years later, posing a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines, CNN reported. The danger posed by cluster weapons has prompted more than 100 countries — including the UK, France and Germany — to sign a treaty prohibiting their use.

In the interview, Putin said the US administration had called the use of cluster munitions a war crime and that he agreed with that assessment. But he did not say who in the administration had made the remarks, or when. The President also claimed that Russia has not yet used cluster munitions, despite a UN report in March which said it had compiled credible reports that Russian forces had used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times.