Russia's defense ministry has confirmed that a state news agency reporter was killed in a cluster bomb attack carried out by Ukraine.

The ministry said a group of Russian journalists came under fire in Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, with one left dead and three others wounded.

Zaporizhzhia is in southern Ukraine, where parts of the region are under Russian control.

The ministry said cluster munitions were used but did not provide specific evidence.

The United States had recently sent cluster bombs to Ukraine, and a US official said on Thursday that Ukraine had begun using them.

Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, criticized Ukraine in a social media post. He called the use of cluster munitions inhumane.

He criticized authorities in Washington and Kyiv, saying their assurances that such ammunition would not be used on non-combatants turned out to be pure lies.

The US has long accused Russia of having used cluster bombs on battle fields.

US-based Human Rights Watch said in May that Russian forces had used the weapons in attacks that caused hundreds of civilian casualties, while also damaging homes, hospitals and schools.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that his country reserves the right to reciprocate when Ukraine uses cluster munitions.