If the US supplies Ukraine with cluster bombs, Moscow will deploy “similar” weapons, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigou said on Tuesday.
Shoigou said Russia had never before used such weaponry as part of its military campaign.
Cluster munitions are banned by most countries in the world. Notable exceptions are Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
“Russian cluster bombs are much more effective than those of the United States and are available in a wider and more diverse range,” Shoigou warned.
Washington decided last week to deliver cluster munitions to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden said the decision had been “very difficult,” but represented “the right thing to do.”
Cluster munitions are explosive weapons that release or eject large numbers of smaller submunitions.
These munitions are controversial because many of the bomblets do not explode immediately, putting civilians in the affected areas at risk.
