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Kiev rejects reports that Ukraine's military used cluster munitions in Donetsk

The Ukrainian government rejected claims by Human Rights Watch that the military used cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine.

By JC Finley
A member of the Ukrainian national guard at a training base near Kiev, Ukraine on September 30, 2014. (UPI/Ivan Vakolenko)
A member of the Ukrainian national guard at a training base near Kiev, Ukraine on September 30, 2014. (UPI/Ivan Vakolenko) | License Photo

KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The Ukrainian government rejected claims that its military used cluster munitions during an operation in eastern Ukraine.

National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko responded to the accusations during a press conference Tuesday in Kiev.

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"Concerning claims that residential areas were targeted in cluster bomb attacks, I am authorized to state that the Ukrainian military has not been using weapons against residential districts. ...

"The Ukrainian military has not used international banned weapons, including cluster ammunition."

Lysenko suggested Russian-backed separatists could have been responsible for providing "provocative information" to international observers.

Human Rights Watch said its newly released report that "During a week-long investigation in eastern Ukraine, Human Rights Watch documented widespread use of cluster munitions in fighting between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in more than a dozen urban and rural locations."

Despite the report's assertion that the Ukrainian government was responsible for the cluster bomb attacks, the human rights group acknowledges "it was not possible to conclusively determine responsibility for many of the attacks..."

Lysenko advised international observers making such claims to provide more more details when citing evidence.

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