Ukraine’s Armed Forces ready to begin using cluster bombs – BBC
American cluster bombs have arrived in Ukraine and will be ready for use “in a few days,” said Ground Forces commander Colonel-General, Olesksandr Syrskyi, in an interview with the BBC on July 18.
Journalists have reported seeing American M777 howitzers, which will fire these munitions, “in positions around Bakhmut.”
The complete liberation of Bakhmut will not only have symbolic value, but also a strategic one, as the city is “a gateway to other key cities in the region,” Syrskyi said.
“Cluster bombs will not solve all the problems on the battlefield,” noted Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of the K. Gordienko 57th separate motorized infantry brigade, also speaking to the BBC.
“[They are needed to] deal maximum damage to enemy infantry. The more infantrymen that die here, the more their relatives in Russia will ask their government – ‘for what’?”, he said.
Ukraine had already received cluster munitions from the United States by July 13, but had yet to use them, said Tavria grouping commander General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who added that such ammunition can radically change the situation on the battlefield.
The Pentagon confirmed the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine on the same day.
The White House explained that they made this decision despite the risks, because without this ammunition, Ukraine will not be able to carry out an effective counteroffensive. They added that the U.S. was running out of artillery shells to transfer to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said that they will use cluster bombs only in places where the Russian military gathers – outside cities, to avoid risks to the civilian population.
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