The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that US-provided cluster bombs are fueling the Ukrainian counteroffensive and detailed how Ukrainian forces are using the civilian-killing munitions against Russian soldiers.
Cluster bombs are designed to spread small submunitions over large areas. They are so harmful to civilians because some of the submunitions, or bomblets, do not explode on impact and can be found years or decades after their use.
Ukrainian soldiers said they’re using cluster bombs to hit concentrations of Russian soldiers and vehicles. The Journal report said that cluster munitions have helped Ukraine capture some Russian positions but acknowledged the gains come at a high casualty cost.
“The cluster bombs are good. They are effective,” said Capt. Anatoliy Kharchenko, commander of a Ukrainian reconnaissance company. “But the Russians are dug in deep, and they learn quickly.”
The bombs won’t be enough to tip the balance of the war in Ukraine’s favor as the counteroffensive is struggling, and Western officials are saying it’s “highly unlikely” that Ukraine will succeed. But the cluster munitions are enough to keep the war going. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Ukraine would be “defenseless” without them.
Ukraine has struggled to break through Russian defenses due to vast minefields. A Ukrainian platoon commander told the Journal that they’ve been using “bodies” to clear the minefields. “It’s awful,” the platoon commander said.
Other Ukrainian soldiers said the cluster bombs were useful in clearing trees and groundcover so they could better see the Russians. “With the cluster bombs, you fire three times, and the trees totally collapse,” an infantry private said. He said because submunitions are scattered across a large area, they don’t need to be fired accurately.
Because of their indiscriminate nature, cluster bombs have been banned by over 100 nations, but the US, Ukraine, and Russia are not signatories to the treaty. Last year, the White House called the use of cluster bombs in the Ukraine war a “potential war crime.”
“WSJ: American Cluster Bombs are Fueling Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Ukraine has been targeting Russian soldiers cluster munitions, which kill and maim civilians years after they’re used”
Human bones turn to ash at 1500 C. The Russian thermobaric rockets burn hotter than that when the hit Ukrainian trenches.
That is why the KIA body count is not higher. Ashes are not identifiable as individual Ukrainian troops. The number of 43,000 KIA since June 4th is low as there are many missing in action and not findable.
The US must be so proud.
Good job. If they run out of cluster bombs and depleted Uranium, let’s just send them nuclear bombs. Like many “smart” Western politicians said, “Russia must not win!” (Sarcasm)
Cluster and depleted uranium munitions should be banned by every nation on Earth for all the obvious reasons. In the end, cluster bombs will not save Ukraine from being crushed by the Russian Army.
If they were able to break through with them, then it was a necessary evil.
They have failed to do so so we are just doing evil now….kind of….
Blah. We are normalizing the use of cluster bombs as legitimate military weapons.
🙁
cluster bombs=war crime.
One can go back to the criminal use of nucs on Japanese cities and ponder as to when the us govt ever was restrained by criminal use of weapons on civilians.
What was the count on the latest “adventures” on the fight for democracy (sic) in Iraq, syria, libya, afghan/ It is in the hundreds of thousands if not millions.