Ukraine Shows 'Cemetery of Russian Missiles and Ammunition' From Strikes

The Ukrainian military shared a video Wednesday showing a "cemetery" of remnants from what it says are Russian missiles and ammunition used to strike the city of Kharkiv.

A video shared by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine showed more than 5,000 pieces of purportedly Russian-made missiles that can cause "great harm" to both military personnel and civilians, said Ihor Ovcharuk, head of the humanitarian demining unit at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

Ovcharuk said in the video that the particular missiles in question lacked accuracy when they explode, and said the types are usually "banned [because] they harm civilians."

"It does not have accuracy, it simply targets a large area, where both civilians and military personnel can be located," Ovcharuk said. "And as such it does not have accuracy in targeting only the military. And that's why, unfortunately, both civilians and everyone else suffered."

The Ukrainian military referred to the site of the missile remnants, which Ovcharuk said is a temporary site to safely store the pieces, a "cemetery," in its tweet, adding, "this is what thousands of rotten teeth of a dying empire, a terrorist state, look like."

Harvard University reported in March that the Russian military was using types of weaponry that is widely banned under international humanitarian law, according to Bonnie Docherty, director of the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative at the university. In the report, which came out one week after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Docherty said that using explosive weapons that "cannot distinguish between soldiers and civilians," particularly in populated areas, is often considered unlawful.

The Washington Post and the Human Rights Watch also reported at the time that Russia was using the illegal missiles in Kharkiv, read the report.

The city of Kharkiv has a population of about 1.4 million, according to Macrotrends, and has faced the brunt of Russian airstrikes since the onset of the war in Ukraine. According to Ovcharuk, Kharkiv "still suffers" missile strikes as of today, but has not been "bombarded as intensively as before."

"This, of course, is influenced by the fact that they are running out of them too," Ovcharuk added.

Some of Russia's recent airstrikes have also targeted Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving pockets of the country in blackouts as the winter months approach. Ukrainian officials have asked citizens to restrict energy consumption as work crews repair the infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address Thursday that Russia has launched 4,500 missile strikes and more than 8,000 air raids over the past two days.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment on the video.