The United States on Friday agreed to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, a controversial and widely banned weapon that can often indiscriminately harm civilians, especially children, long after the war ends. end.
Ukraine says the weapon will help it counter-attack the Russian military by allowing its forces to effectively target entrenched Russian positions and overcome its manpower and artillery disadvantage.
The United States refused for months, citing concerns about the use of weapons and saying they were unnecessary. But In recent weeks, US officials have begun to signal a shift away from that stance. Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, told US legislators Late last month, the Pentagon determined that cluster bombs would be useful to Ukraine, “especially against fortified Russian positions on the battlefield.”
Here’s what to know about weapons.
What are cluster bombs?
The cluster munition, first used in World War II, is a type of weapon consisting of rockets, bombs, rockets, and artillery shells that can disrupt the air and disperse smaller projectiles over an area. vast area.
Why are they controversial?
Cluster munitions are typically designed to explode or ignite when they hit the ground, but historically their failure rate has been the highest of all weapons, with lasting consequences. and often cruel to civilians. According to humanitarian groups, a fifth or more of the small bombs could linger, potentially detonating when disturbed or disposed of years later.
“There is no responsible way to use cluster munitions,” said Brian Castner, weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team.
Since World War II, cluster bombs have killed between 56,500 and 86,500 civilians. They also have killed and wounded scores of US service members. Civilians, including children in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Balkans and Laos, continue to suffer incidents involving remnants of cluster munitions.
What does the US plan to send?
The United States said it would send Ukraine 155 mm artillery shells loaded with explosive grenades called modified dual-purpose conventional ammunition, or DPICM. These munitions are designed to break the air and scatter grenades over an area to hit both armored vehicles as well as armored vehicles. soldiers dismounted.
The two main types of 155 mm DPICM ammunition in US inventory are the M483, which holds 88 grenades, and the longer range M864, which holds 72 grenades. Which version is considered for Kiev is unclear.
Both shells use the same DPICM grenade, which usually does not explode immediately due to environmental factors, such as landing in vegetation or on soft ground. Castner added that grenades are not self-destructive and often remain dangerous decades later, potentially exploding if mishandled due to their particularly sensitive detonators.
“If you touch that thing by mistake,” he said, “it’s like hitting a match.”
Aren’t these banned?
Because cluster bombs spread over a large area and often explode long after they are deployed, they can harm civilians indiscriminately, which Mr. Castner considers a violation of international humanitarian law and maybe a war crime.
Because of those risks, more than 100 countries — though not the United States, Russia or Ukraine — signed a treaty in 2008 called the Cluster Munitions Convention, pledging not to make, use, or transfer deliver or store them. Since the convention was adopted, 99% of global stockpiles have been destroyed, according to the Coalition of Cluster Munitions.
Ukraine has said it will deploy weapons with caution, as it is fighting on its own soil and many frontline areas have been extensively affected by landmines.
Cluster bombs were used in Ukraine?
The New York Times recorded Russia widely used cluster bombs in Ukraine since the start of the invasion in February 2022. Ukraine has also used them in an attempt to retake territories occupied by Russia, according to human rights monitors, the United Nations and Report from The Times. Cluster Bomb Alliance stated in the annual report last summer, cluster bombs killed at least 689 people in just the first six months of fighting.
Although it is difficult to know the exact number of weapons used in the conflict, hundreds of weapons have been recorded and reported in Ukraine, mainly in densely populated areas, according to Human Rights Watch. right to say in a statement. May 2023 report. The attack with the highest known casualty was the attack in April 2022 with a missile armed with a cluster bomb. at a crowded train station in Kramatorskdozens of people were killed and more than 100 others injured, according to the group.
Mary Wareham, the group’s weapons advocacy director, said: “The delivery of cluster munitions disregards the significant danger they pose to civilians and undermines the global effort to ban them. “. declare on Thursday.
How do other allies feel about these weapons coming to Ukraine?
NATO Secretary General said on Friday that the military alliance has no official position on the use of cluster munitions in battle and the decision to use the weapons will be a question for each country. Without criticizing or opposing the United States, Germany and France said they would not follow suit, referring to the treaty.
Most members of NATO, the Western military alliance that has staunchly backed Ukraine, have signed on to the international ban. Ms Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense, said “concerns about allied unity” were one of the reasons the US was not supplying arms to Ukraine. The Cluster Munitions Convention also limits the ability of states that have entered into military cooperation with countries that use them.
How will the supply of cluster munitions affect the war?
Before Ukraine’s long-awaited counterattack, the Russian military had months to prepare its defenses against the onslaught, with miles of trenches, tank traps and mines. Ukraine and the Biden administration have argued that cluster bombs could help Ukrainian forces, which outnumber Russia’s, get through those defenses.
However, this imprecise nature could also put Ukrainian strike forces at risk of unexploded munitions from previous deployments, said Gabriela Rosa Hernández, a researcher at the Consortium for Control. Weapons, said.
In February, Oleksandr Kubrakov, deputy prime minister in charge of restoring Ukraine, said a quick supply of weapons from allies would be crucial to Kiev’s advance in the counter-offensive against Russia, and that Ukraine should choose to deploy weapons on its territory.
“It is our territory. I understand how complicated it is with all these conventions, he said in a town hall at the Munich Security Conference, but he stressed their usefulness in countering Russian aggression. “Our allies, the United States, and many other countries, they have millions of these bullets. Again, we will wait, wait, wait, and suddenly one day, most likely, we will get such ammunition.”
Eric Schmitt contribution report.
