Shoigu: Supplying Kyiv with Cluster Munitions Forces Us to Use Similar Weapons

Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated, "If the United States supplies Ukraine with cluster bombs, then Moscow will be forced to use similar means of attack." Shoigu added, "Russia possesses cluster munitions but has so far refrained from using them in its military campaign." Last week, the United States announced that it would provide Ukraine with "cluster munitions" widely banned for use in its counteroffensive against Russian forces. Shoigu noted, "It is worth mentioning that Russia has cluster munitions available for use... in any case... they are much more effective than American munitions." He indicated that the Russian army is taking necessary measures to protect its forces from these weapons. Human Rights Watch states that both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions during the ongoing 17-month conflict in Ukraine, which Russia refers to as a "special military operation." Neither the United States, Russia, nor Ukraine has signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Close allies of the United States, including the UK, Canada, and Germany, have expressed their rejection of the use of cluster munitions. In separate remarks, Shoigu stated that Russia is "greatly reducing" the capabilities of Ukraine's counteroffensive and that Russian forces have seized new territories during a counteroffensive towards Lyman in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.