Shoigu called the transfer of cluster munitions to Kyiv a war crime

The transfer to Ukraine of cluster munitions prohibited by an international convention is a war crime. This was stated by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shogu during a meeting of the board.

“In the face of a growing shortage of ammunition for Western-style artillery systems in the Ukrainian armed forces, Washington committed a war crime by including cluster munitions banned by the international convention in the aid package,” he said, his words leads press service of the Ministry of Defense.

The White House announced the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine on July 7. The Pentagon acknowledged that the risks to the civilian population associated with the use of cluster munitions by the Ukrainian army do not exceed concerns about Russia’s victory in the conflict. At the same time, Washington said that Kyiv had provided the United States with written guarantees that the ammunition would be used “with caution.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry called this step “a gesture of desperation.” Shoigu previously stated that Washington decided to transfer this ammunition due to the shortage of 155-caliber shells from the United States.

At the UN spoke against the use of cluster shells in Ukraine on the day of the announcement of their transfer, 7 July. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the Secretary General, noted that António Guterres supports the Convention on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions, which entered into force in 2010.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the authorities of the new and border regions have repeatedly reported about the shelling of territories by Ukraine with cluster munitions. In particular, on August 6, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (APU) had again shelled Donetsk with such ammunition.