DONETSK, July 9. /TASS/. The acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, believes that violations of the international law are a routine practice for the Kiev government’s forces.

"Written guarantees look even more cynical provided that Ukrainian troops have used all weapons at their disposal, including cluster munitions, against the civilian population of Donbass," he told TASS. "Violating the international law during hostilities is an absolutely routine practice for the armed forces of Ukraine and their top brass."

On July 7, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States has decided to send Ukraine cluster munitions, even as the United Nations opposes the use of them. He also said that Kiev has provided Washington with written assurances that those weapons will be used in a way that minimizes risks to civilians. Pentagon Spokesman Patrick Ryder said on Thursday that the United States is poised to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions that pose the least risk to civilians.

Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Farhan Haq said earlier, commenting on media reports that the US plans to supply such munitions to Ukraine, that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres supports the Convention on Cluster Munitions and is against the use of such weapons on the battlefield.

Cluster munitions

A cluster bomb, or a cluster munition, can contain hundreds of explosive submunitions. When a cluster munition detonates in the air, submunitions can be left scattered on an area of tens of square meters. If some of them fail to function immediately but land on the ground without exploding, these submunitions pose a threat to civilians long after a conflict has ended. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions has been joined by 111 countries so far, while another 12 nations have signed but not yet ratified it.

According to Human Rights Watch, the dud rate of cluster munitions is usually much higher than the declared level, and that leads to civilian casualties.