Russia may retaliate if Ukraine uses cluster munitions, says Vladimir Putin

Days after Ukraine received delivery of Americanmade cluster munitions Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow too has a stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine if they are used against us CNN reportedRussia has a sufficient supply of various types of cluster munitions the Russian leader said during an interview If they are used against us we reserve the right to mirror actions CNN quoted Putin as saying Notably Washingtons decision to send cluster bombs to Kyiv was controversial and criticized by human rights groupsThe weapons are particularly dangerous to civilians and noncombatants when fired near populated areas because they scatter explosive material socalled bomblets across large areas Those that fail to explode on impact can detonate years later posing a longterm risk to anyone who encounters them similar to landmines CNN reportedCluster munitions contain multiple explosives that are released over an area up to the size of several football fields They can be dropped from a plane or launched from the ground or sea The submunitions are released in flight and fall to the ground They can range from the tens to many hundredsThey are designed to explode on impact but as many as a third dont and remain a deadly risk to civilians for years to come 94 per cent of recorded cluster bomb casualties are civilians of which almost 40 per cent are children CNN reported The danger posed by cluster weapons has prompted more than 100 countries including the United Kingdom France and Germany to sign a treaty prohibiting their useUS President Joe Biden has said that the decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine was very difficult but he opted to do so because Kyiv needs more ammunition to continue its fight to push Russian troops out of Ukrainian territory CNN reported A top official at the US Defence Department said Kyiv gave assurances in writing that it would not use the cluster munitions in urban areasPutin further said that the Biden administration had called the use of cluster munitions a war crime and that he agreed with that assessment Although Putin didnt specify the statement but former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last year at the outset of the conflict that reports of Russias use of cluster bombs if confirmed would constitute a war crime CNN reportedPutin also claimed that Russia has not yet used cluster munitions despite evidence to the contrary Earlier in March the United Nations said it had compiled credible reports that Russian forces had used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times It was also found last year that the Kremlin fired 11 cluster rockets at Kharkiv Ukraines secondlargest city during the wars opening days CNN reportedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever