Ukraine received cluster munitions and pledged limited use

(Patria) - Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, munitions banned in more than 100 countries, but has pledged to use them only to clear concentrations of enemy soldiers, Reuters reports.

Valeryi Shershen, a spokesperson for Tavria, or the southern military district, confirmed his commander's announcement that the weapons had arrived a week after the United States said it would send them as part of an $800 million security package.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Thursday that Russia could resort to deploying similar weapons if faced with their use.

Ukrainian officials say their deployment is justified given Russia's mining of vast areas of land it has occupied.

"This will further demotivate the Russian occupying forces and fundamentally change things in favor of the Ukrainian armed forces," Shershen told Radio Liberty, which is funded by the US.

The munitions, he said, will be used strictly within legal frameworks, "only for the de-occupation of our territories. They will not be used on Russian territory... They will only be used in areas where Russian military forces are concentrated, with the aim of breaking through enemy defenses."

Cluster munitions typically release a large number of smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that do not explode pose a danger for decades.

Each side accuses the other of using cluster bombs in the conflict, which was triggered by Russia's invasion in February 2022. Human Rights Watch says both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine, and the US have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production, storage, use, and transfer of the weapons.