The US has put together a new military support package for Ukraine, including cluster munitions. The aim of using the internationally banned weapon is to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible. But the past shows that the projectile will kill innocent people.
The US will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions. The US government confirmed this on Friday after speculation had been going on for some time. According to information from the AP news agency, the delivery would be part of a package worth up to $ 800 million with which the United States wants to help Ukraine militarily.
Cluster munitions are missiles and bombs that explode in the air above the target and disperse or release many small explosives – so-called bombs. The bullet thus covers a considerably larger area (see image below).
The ammunition type has been criticized because a significant percentage of explosives often fail to detonate, remaining in place as duds, endangering the population.
Cluster munitions are banned internationally
The weapon is internationally banned. 110 countries have signed an agreement against its use. Not included: USA, Russia and Ukraine. Austria’s Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, together with her colleagues from Germany and Switzerland, Boris Pistorius and Viola Amherd, recently emphasized that supplying cluster munitions to their countries was out of the question.
At a joint press conference on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting in Bern, Amherd said Russia has reportedly been using cluster munitions in Ukraine for some time. “Of course this is another escalation.” Pistorius “would not comment” on the US decision itself.
Understanding from Berlin
Meanwhile, other parts of the German government in Berlin showed their understanding of the possible delivery: “We are sure that our American friends have not taken the decision to deliver the correct ammunition lightly,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. The cluster munitions would be used by Ukraine in “a special configuration”.
“Ukraine uses ammunition to protect its own civilian population. It is about a commitment by your own government to liberate your own territory,” said Hebestreit. And further: “We must also remember that Russia has already used cluster munitions on a large scale in an offensive war against Ukraine in violation of international law.”
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder also recently emphasized that Russia is already actively using the controversial weapon in Ukraine. Ryder pointed out that older ammunition had more duds. “We would carefully select bullets with a lower percentage of duds for which we have current test data.” Ryder said the ammunition’s blind rate was no more than 2.35 percent.
Cluster bombs against Russian positions?
Western observers assume that Ukraine mainly needs the cluster munitions to successfully carry out the counteroffensive. In the months leading up to the counterattack, the Russian occupiers dug in and set up defensive positions all along the front line (see chart below).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the delivery of cluster munitions to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible. And that will probably happen. Even armored vehicles can be pierced by exploding bombs. The German Federal Agency for Political Education describes the weapon as follows: “All persons in the attack area are very likely to be killed or seriously injured.”
Ukraine could bomb an area the size of 50 football fields
And this “attack area” is huge. With the weapon systems already available in Ukraine, up to 8,000 bombs can be spread over an area the size of about 50 football fields with one salvo of cluster munitions, the aid organization Handicap International, which specializes in duds and explosive remnants of war, reports.
The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva condemned the US supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine: “Such munitions kill and maim people long after a conflict has ended,” a spokeswoman said on Friday. “Therefore, the deployment must be stopped immediately.” The agency called on Russia and Ukraine to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Cluster munitions have been used in 43 countries by at least 23 governments since the end of World War II, according to Handicap International. More recently in Syria, where there are hardly any houses in large parts of the country.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
