Ukraine's use of cluster munitions stirs international concern amid escalating conflict

Shafaq News / Russian-backed authorities in Donetsk province reported that Ukrainian forces fired three cluster shells at the Kuybyshevsky area. The authorities stated that a child was killed as a result of Ukrainian shelling targeting a shopping center in Donetsk.

Ukraine received cluster munitions from the US last July, prompting strong reactions from Russia, as more than 100 countries around the world consider this weapon banned.

Washington stated that the supply of these weapons to Ukraine is aimed at ensuring that Russia does not halt the counteroffensive that Kyiv is currently conducting.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian territory and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, have also increased, with a focus on the Russian capital, as part of the counteroffensive launched by Kyiv since early June.

It is noteworthy that cluster munitions are weapons that consist of a container that opens in the air, dispersing numerous small explosive bomblets or submunitions.

These munitions can be dropped from the air, launched from the sea, or fired from the ground. Most of the small munitions they release are designed to explode upon impact, but they are free-falling, lacking guidance toward specific targets.

According to official international data, 34 countries have produced over 200 types of cluster munitions. 87 countries store these munitions, and 16 countries have already used them in armed conflicts.

The use of such weapons has led to the widespread presence of unexploded small munitions in many countries and regions, posing a serious threat to civilians.

Furthermore, due to their danger, the Dublin Conference in May 2008 adopted the Cluster Munitions Convention, which imposes strict rules to ensure the non-use and proper disposal of cluster munitions.