Ukrainian forces have begun using American-made cluster munitions against Russian defensive positions, two United States military officials said Thursday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, said the weapons were being used in multiple locations in southeastern Ukraine, but did not elaborate.
The Washington Post first reported that Ukrainian forces were using the weapons, citing Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has begun firing cluster munitions to penetrate well-established Russian defenses that have slowed Ukraine’s counteroffensive operation to retake territory, the Post said.
Ukrainian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they had begun using the weapons.
Pentagon officials said last week that millions of weapons had arrived in Ukraine from US military depots in Europe. Colin H., who recently stepped down as Secretary of Defense for policy. Kahl said that “no one capability is a silver bullet” but that cluster munitions would allow Ukraine to “sustain an artillery fight for the foreseeable future.”
President Biden has wrestled for months with the decision whether to supply weapons that are illegal from many of America’s closest allies. They scatter small bomblets across the battlefield, which can cause serious injuries even decades after the end of the fighting when civilians take the piss.
Russia has used these types of weapons for much of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have also used them, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, demanded more to flush out the Russians, who dug into trenches and blocked his country’s counteroffensive.
