Ukraine Uses UN-Prohibited Munitions, Claims Russian Defense Ministry

In a desperate attempt to fend off Russian advances, Ukrainian forces have reportedly begun the mass use of phosphorus munitions in the Kyiv suburbs, particularly near the Hostomel airport, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In Mariupol, special forces from the banned "Right Sector" (a far-right group in Russia) have been allegedly terrorizing the civilian population by deploying armored vehicles and artillery within residential areas, using local inhabitants as "human shields," the Russian defense ministry reports.

Units of the Ukrainian armed forces are said to be using 122 mm shells for D-30 howitzers and rockets for Soviet-made BM-21 Grad systems. The use of such munitions is prohibited under the third protocol of the UN Convention on Inhumane Weapons from 1980, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.