by Israel National News
Russia accused attacking Ukrainians with widely banned cluster bombs and vacuum bombs.
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Human rights groups and Ukraine's ambassador to the United States on Monday accused Russia of attacking Ukrainians with cluster bombs and vacuum bombs, Reuters reported.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both said that Russian forces appeared to have used widely banned cluster munitions against Ukraine.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, told reporters after meeting with members of the US Congress that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon, known as a vacuum bomb, in its invasion of her country.
"They used the vacuum bomb today," Markarova said after a meeting with lawmakers. "...The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."
While there has been no official confirmation that thermobaric weapons have been used in the conflict in Ukraine, CNN reported that one of its teams had spotted a Russian thermobaric multiple rocket launcher near the Ukrainian border early on Saturday afternoon.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she had seen the reports but did not have confirmation that Russia had used such weapons.
"If that were true, it would potentially be a war crime," she told a press briefing, according to Reuters, noting that there are international organizations that would assess that and President Joe Biden's administration "would look to be a part of that conversation."
The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing war crimes and said it should be brought before an international tribunal.
Those comments came as Zelensky urged the West to consider imposing a no-fly zone for Russian missiles, planes and helicopters in response to Russian shelling of the city of Kharkiv.
The White House reacted coolly to Zelensky’s proposal. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that US participation in such a move would be tantamount to a direct conflict with Moscow and would be a step toward sending US troops to fight Russia, something Washington seeks to avoid.
"A no-fly zone would require implementation," she said, adding it would require "deploying US military to enforce, which would be ... potentially a direct conflict, and potentially a war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of."
Israel National News
Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/323074
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