Moscow “closely monitoring” allegations of Turkish cluster munition supplies to Kiev

Moscow is closely watching the reports saying Turkey’s cluster munition supplies to Ukraine but it’s hard to say whether these allegations are true, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Foreign Policy on Tuesday said Turkey began sending Ukraine in November 2022 a form of U.S.-designed, artillery-fired cluster bomb developed to destroy tanks by bursting into smaller submunitions, which can linger on the battlefield for years if they do not immediately explode.

According to the publication, Turkey has been delivering the so-called dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM) made during the Cold War era under a contract with the United States.

Asked to comment on allegations, Peskov said, "Of course, it’s hard to say whether the reports are true. You know that the number of fake reports exceeds the volume of truthful information, therefore, certainly, we are closely monitoring all this."

The Kremlin spokesman reiterated that Russia was well aware of deliveries of Turkish Bayraktar drones and ammunition to Ukraine. However, Peskov said, Turkey has both obligations as a NATO member and maintains its own bilateral relations with other countries. "And yet, we do share very close partnership relations with Turkey that are built on mutual benefit, mutual understanding, mutual respect and a mutual willingness to discuss the most challenging issues," he emphasized.