(Reuters) U.S.-supplied cluster bombs are in Ukrainian hands and being used on the battlefield as part of Kiev’s response to Russia, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
“We’ve gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they are using them quite effectively,” Kirby told a news conference.
Kirby said the cluster bombs are having an impact on Russian formations and defensive maneuvers.
Ukraine has vowed to use cluster bombs only to dislodge concentrations of Russian enemy soldiers.
Cluster bombs, banned in more than 100 countries, typically release large numbers of small bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that do not explode pose a danger for decades.
Each side has accused the other of using cluster bombs in the conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia bombs grain depots in Odessa and conducts military exercises in the Black Sea
(RFI) The Russians destroyed 120 tons of grain, according to a message posted by the governor on Telegram. Russia fired Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea and at low altitude to bypass air defense systems, Governor Kiper added.
Two missiles hit warehouses where grain was stored, sparking a fire. At another site that was targeted by the shelling, there was farm equipment and a rescue vehicle.
Moscow says the attacks are a “reprisal”. The country has put an end to the grain exports agreement established on July 17, 2022. At the time, the UN and Turkey negotiated the opening of a humanitarian maritime corridor in the Black Sea, which allowed Ukraine to export the grain.
The Russians also continued their attacks on eastern and southern regions in Ukraine this week. According to the governor of the Zaporíjia region, Youri Malachko, 80 localities have been hit in the last 24 hours. Four people have died.
Military exercises
At the same time, Russia announced on Friday (21) that it had held military exercises in the Black Sea. According to the country’s defense ministry, Russian fleet ships fired cruise missiles “at a boat, which was destroyed, in the combat training area in the northwestern Black Sea.”
The country said it would consider, as of Thursday, ships heading towards Ukraine as “potential military vessels”. Tension has grown in the area since the end of the agreement on grain exports.
The Russian defense ministry also indicated that a part of its air force, in coordination with its ships, would “work on actions to isolate the zone temporarily closed for navigation.”
The Ukrainian port cities of Mykolaiv and Odessa on the Black Sea were targeted in Russian attacks on Wednesday night, condemned by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Kiev accuses Moscow of specifically targeting port infrastructure to prevent the eventual resumption of grain exports. Ukraine is asking for naval military patrols under a UN mandate, which has not yet responded to the request.
(With information from AFP)