Russian Aircraft Strikes Targets in Idlib Countryside
The Russian Defense Ministry published footage on October 5 described as showing strikes on a “militant” site in Idlib, which it claimed held “30 units of automobile and armored vehicles, including tanks.”
The initial images, shot from the underside of an aircraft, show takeoff, before the plane drops its payload. A birdseye shot of a wooded area shows the bombs exploding.
The bombs used bear resemblance to cluster munitions, widely banned and condemned by human rights groups, though the use of these weapons remains unconfirmed. In March, Human Rights Watch accused both government and pro-Russian separatists of “repeatedly” using cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine.
In recent days, Syrian activists accused Russia of using a “new weapon.” The video below, distributed by the Syrian activist network Shaam News, appears to show a warplane dropping cluster munitions. Credit: YouTube/Russian Defense Ministry
