Ukraine says has proof Russia used banned cluster bombs

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine has proof that Russian forces have used banned cluster bombs in two southern regions of the country, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says.

Cluster bombs spread dozens of tiny explosive charges across an area, some of which may not explode immediately, in effect becoming anti-personnel mines that pose a threat to civilians long after a conflict ends.

Pressure groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that they collected proof of use of cluster bombs in areas where civilians were present in Ukraine.

A UN treaty concluded in 1997 banned the use of anti-personnel mines, but neither Russia nor the United States signed, although Ukraine did.

Asked by journalists about the use of such munitions by Russians in their bombardments of the Ukrainian capital since the invasion began over a month ago, Venediktova says she does not have concrete proof, but that investigations are under way.

“But… we have proof of the utilization of cluster bombes in the Odesa region and in the Kherson area,” she says.

Russian troops have been held at bay from advancing on Odesa, Ukraine’s main port city on the Black Sea.

Kherson is the only major city that Russian forces have captured since their invasion began, but Ukrainian troops have sought to recapture the mid-sized city on the route from Russian-occupied Crimea to Odesa.

Venediktova says that journalists are bringing to light cases of possible use of cluster bombs and other banned weapons.

“But… I can only mention instances where I have very concrete proof, for example… when I have (bomb) fragments or soil samples and analyses,” she says, without providing additional details.