Ukraine has used a controversial weapon, cluster munitions to attack Russia’s Belgorod region on Saturday. At least three cluster munitions were employed by the Kyiv forces during a large-scale attack on the settlement of Zhuravlevka, Gladkov wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

According to the governor, 21 artillery shells and ten mortar rounds were also fired at the village. It was also targeted with a single kamikaze drone, according to a report by RT. 

The governor further reported that there were no casualties or damage in Zhuravlevka as a result of the shelling, he said.

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The United States previously denounced the use of cluster munitions but has said recently that there was a delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine earlier this month, with President Joe Biden describing it as a stopgap measure that was necessary due to a shortage of regular artillery rounds among Kyiv’s Western backers.

Washington admitted that it was aware of the increased risk posed by cluster munitions for the civilian population, but claimed that Kyiv had pledged to deploy them responsibly and steer clear of densely populated areas.

The controversial shells, which contain multiple bomblets that are dispersed over a large area, have been banned in more than 100 countries. However, neither Ukraine, the US, nor Russia are signatories of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). -RT

Russian President Vladimir Putin called out the U.S. and its hypocrisy, noting last week that Washington had earlier branded the use of cluster munitions “a crime,” saying this was exactly how he regarded the delivery of such weapons to Kyiv by Washington.

The Russian military has a “sufficient” stock of cluster munitions, which it can also put to use in a tit-for-tat response to such weapons being deployed by Ukraine, Putin further warned.