Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a threat to deploy cluster bombs by Russian forces if Ukraine proceeds with the use of these controversial weapons.

Putin emphasized that Moscow possesses an ample stockpile of cluster munitions and reserved the right to retaliate if Ukraine were to employ them against Russian forces.

Cluster bombs are widely condemned and banned in over 100 countries due to their indiscriminate nature and the potential for large-scale civilian casualties. These weapons release numerous smaller submunitions, which can cause harm over a wide area.

Additionally, unexploded submunitions pose an ongoing danger, remaining hazardous to civilians long after conflicts have ended.

The United States has supplied Ukraine with these contentious weapons, citing the need to compensate for shortages in artillery shells as Ukrainian forces mount a counteroffensive.

However, Putin argued on state-run TV that the use of cluster bombs would warrant reciprocal action from Russia. He claimed that Russia has not utilized cluster bombs in its invasion of Ukraine, although reports from March 2022 suggested their initial use by Russian forces.

Cluster bombs

It is worth noting that both Moscow and Kyiv have faced accusations of employing cluster munitions, as highlighted by Human Rights Watch.

Notably, Russia and Ukraine, along with the United States, have not ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international agreement that prohibits the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of such weapons.

While Putin decried the use of cluster bombs by Ukraine as a crime, investigations by organizations like Bellingcat have revealed evidence of Russian forces deploying these weapons in urban areas at the onset of the invasion.

The situation remains tense as Russia continues its military operations in Ukraine, and the threat of further escalation and the use of dangerous weaponry looms large.