They are more likely to hit civilians. Human-rights organisations say that their use in populated areas is a violation of international humanitarian law because they cause indiscriminate destruction
have reportedly used the weapons, though Russia has been accused more often. Despite efforts to ban the bombs, other armies also employ them. What are cluster munitions, and why are they so dangerous?
A single warhead is lethal close to the point of detonation, but less effective further away. This is ideal for destroying a point target such as a bunker, vehicle or building, but is less use against a column of vehicles or spread-out infantry. Cluster munitions, on the other hand, scatter grenade-sized “bomblets” over a large area, cancelling out aiming errors. That makes them more likely to hit civilians.
The weapons were first used in the second world war, becoming commonplace in the years after. “Steel rain” was highly regarded by Allied forces in the Gulf War of 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. A single M26 rocket could scatter 644 grenades over an area roughly twice the size of a football pitch, and the Multiple Launch Rocket System can fire volleys of 12. Each was capable of destroying a light-armoured vehicle and spraying shrapnel. But they also left a deadly trail.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty signed in 2008, bans them, but neither Russia nor Ukraine is among the 110 countries party to it. Nor is America and in 2017 Donald Trump’s administration got rid of restrictions on the use of the weapons. Despite this, the Pentagon has developed alternative warheads for its rocket-launch systems. These GPS-guided munitions arefor use instead of older cluster warheads.
America claims these new munitions are as effective as cluster warheads, without leaving behind dangerous unexploded bomblets. This may reduce the temptation for Ukrainian forces to use stockpiled cluster weapons, especially on Ukrainian soil. But Russia is likely to continue, possibly seeing their indiscriminate effects as psychological warfare. Ukraine’s emergency service said it had destroyed 98,864 items of unexploded ordnance by May 9th.
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