LIVE. Ukraine deploys controversial cluster munitions: these images would show first attack | War Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine has started using US cluster munitions against the Russian occupation forces, the White House reports. Pictures have now surfaced. The footage is said to show a battle close to the town of Krasnohorivka, in Donetsk, but has not been confirmed by either side.

Earlier Thursday, US media reported that Ukrainian troops in the southeastern part of the country had attacked internationally controversial weapon to destroy Russian positions delaying the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukraine neither confirms nor denies the deployment of the cluster munitions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his government to keep tight control on wartime spending. His call led, among other things, to the Minister of Culture, champion of a series of high-profile and costly projects, to tender his resignation. Whether that has been accepted is not yet clear.

“In a time of war, the most of the state’s attention and therefore most of the state’s financial resources go to defenceZelensky said in a video address on Thursday night, referring to a conversation he had earlier with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

He told the prime minister, among other things, that he had to find alternative funding for projects “that are really needed”. As far as Zelensky is concerned, this concerns various sectors, including culture. “Museums, cultural centers, symbols, television series are important, but we have other priorities,” said the president.

Zelensky, himself a TV actor, comedian and author before entering politics, said he had appealed to local city councils to exercise restraint so that “people feel that budgetary resources are being used fairly and correctly. Cobblestones, city decorations, fountains will have to wait. Victory first.”

He also asked Shmyhal to “consider” to replace the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Olexander Tkachenko. Within an hour, Tkachenko said he had resigned without apologizing for his projects.

“Wartime culture is important because this war is not only about territory, but also about people – our memory, history, language and creativity despite the war,” Tkachenko, who ran a television channel before entering politics, wrote on Telegram.

“Private and public funding for wartime culture is no less important than for drones. Culture is the shield for our identity and our borders,” said Tkachenko.

Two people have been found dead under the rubble after the nightly Russian attack on the town of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine. According to Oleksandr Senkevych, the mayor of Mykolaiv, it is about a married couple.

Earlier, the regional authorities also spoke of 19 injured. According to Senkevych, nine people have been hospitalized.

Moscow is still not allowing the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to inspect the roofs of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The IAEA had requested permission two weeks ago and calls an independent check of the reactor roofs essential.

In early July, the IAEA responded to an allegation by Ukrainian forces that the Russians had placed “explosives” on the roofs of two reactor units. Experts from the IAEA were able to carry out other inspections and reconnaissance at the nuclear power plant last week and so far have not seen any heavy military equipment, explosives or mines. But they are still waiting for access to the roofs of the reactor buildings, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

In early July, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of planning to cause an incident at the plant. The IAEA repeatedly warned of possible catastrophes from military confrontations, also because Zaporizhia is near the front.

Ukraine has deployed cluster bombs supplied by the United States against Russia, the White House confirms.

Both The New York Times and The Washington Post reported earlier today that Russian frontline troops in southeastern Ukraine were attacked with the controversial weapons to destroy positions slowing the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Ukraine neither confirms nor denies the deployment of the cluster munitions. The US gave up the weapon after much hesitation. Kiev promised not to deploy it in densely populated areas or on Russian territory.

Cluster munitions are rockets or bombs that explode in the air above the target, releasing many small explosives. Cluster munitions are especially controversial because a significant part of the explosives do not explode and remain behind, putting civilians at risk. More than a hundred countries have banned its use through an international treaty, but neither the US, Russia nor Ukraine have signed that treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already threatened to use cluster munitions if Ukraine starts using them. However, many experts are convinced that Russia has been using this ammunition for a long time.

Read also: Lieutenant Colonel Tom Simoens now supplies US cluster bombs to Ukraine: “It is a dirty weapon, if you use it dirty” (+)

The UN Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss the “humanitarian consequences” of Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea last year. The British UN mission reports this on Twitter.

This month, the United Kingdom presides over the Security Council, which is based in New York.

The European Union is extending its economic sanctions against Russia for six months due to Russia’s continued “destabilizing actions in Ukraine”, Foreign Ministers have decided in Brussels. The punitive measures against certain economic sectors were introduced shortly after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and have expanded significantly since the invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022.

The sanctions will be extended until February 1, 2024. These include restrictions on trade and financing of products and technology that could be used not only civilly, but also militarily by Russia, such as certain software, chemicals or biological material.

The transport sector is also on the sanctions list. For example, Russian airlines are no longer allowed to enter EU airports and Russian ships, with a few exceptions, are no longer welcome in European ports. There is also a ban on the importation or transfer of crude oil and certain petroleum products by sea from Russia to the EU.

The banking sector has also been tackled. Many Russian banks no longer have access to the SWIFT electronic financial messaging service, which makes international payments easier. The EU has also suspended several licenses for broadcasting activities and media outlets to combat the spread of disinformation.