Russia has used cluster bombs, widely banned artillery in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.
“We have seen the use of cluster bombs and we have seen reports of use of other types of weapons which would be in violation of international law,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Friday.
Stoltenberg added that NATO and its allies were “collecting information and monitoring very closely what is going on in Ukraine.”
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“I also welcome the decision by the International Criminal Court to open the investigation to this because we have to make sure that President Putin, the president of Belarus are held accountable for what they do,” he said.“This is brutality. This is inhumane. This is violating international law,” Stoltenberg said.
Cluster bombs — which not only deliver an initial explosion on impact but also contain multiple smaller bombs that spread over a wide area — are largely condemned by the international community due to the risk of civilian casualties when they’re used in populated areas.
US President Joe Biden’s envoy to the United Nations has accused Russia of preparing to use banned weapons, including “cluster munitions and vacuum bombs,” in Ukraine. And she issued a stark warning to invading Russian soldiers.
“Your leaders are lying to you. Do not commit war crimes,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during remarks to an emergency session of the General Assembly on Wednesday.
