War in Ukraine. the conflict is tainted by the cluster munition disaster

In its annual report published on Thursday, August 25, the Cluster Munitions Monitoring Center (CMC) confirms that Russia has used massive cluster munitions. The group of NGOs co-founding Handicap International notes that Ukraine also used this type of weapon, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law.

Due to their specially developed design, these weapons can kill or seriously maim and contaminate a large area for several decades. They consist of a central bomb containing “clustersexplosive devices, sometimes calledbombs“. These cluster weapons can be launched from trucks or dropped from aircraft. Before impact, the main bomb releases the explosive devices contained in its frame. A zone device that can cover an area the size of several football fields, dealing a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

weapons” non-discriminatory»

Cluster munitions do not distinguish a civilian from a soldier or an enemy base from a school, giving it the name “non-discriminatory“. Bombs fall at an average radius of 70 km around the target. They are the executioner of civilians. According to the annual report of the CRC, 144 of the 149 victims registered in 2021 are civilians. Among them, 90 children.

Cluster ammo does not kill instantly. Regularly multiple projected warheads do not detonate directly. They then litter fall zones, often getting stuck in hard-to-reach places and becoming the equivalent of landmines. Consequently, the death toll continues to grow over time. Decontamination of cluster munition remnants is a long and tedious process. They often sit on trees and roofs or underground, making the work of deminers difficult. More than 1000 km in Laos^2: the area is still contaminated. All of the explosive devices present date from US bombings between 1965 and 1975.

Ukraine, the new contaminated area

Since February 24, the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, cluster munitions have been particularly deadly. For comparison, let’s note that during 2021, 149 victims were registered all over the world. In Ukraine, there are 689 in just 6 months, according to the CPC. The organization blames Russia for the vast majority of strikes. Ukraine would use cluster munitions three times.

As of July 1, hundreds of strikes have hit 24 Ukrainian provinces, especially in the Donetsk region and, more worryingly, in the area of ​​the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The Kremlin alleges the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine (except Zaporizhia), which it describes as “ not harmful if used correctly“. The CMC report notes that Russia uses six types of cluster munitions. Among them, the RBK-500 PTAB-1M cluster bombs, which contain 268 explosive sub-munitions.

The wave of ammunition is reminiscent of another particularly bloody conflict: the war in Syria. The country leads the ranking of countries with the highest number of victims due to cluster munitions. “The human casualties of the Ukrainian conflict remind us of the worst periods of the war in Syria in terms of the use of these weapons.“, he explains Figaro Marion Loddo, CMC Annual Report Editor;

Russia and Ukraine are countries that have not signed the Oslo Convention

The use and production of cluster munitions is prohibited by the Oslo Convention signed in 2008. Today it has 110 participating states and 13 signatories. A non-binding UN General Assembly resolution promoting the convention was adopted in December 2021 by 146 states, including 36 non-signatories. Russia was the only country that voted against. The Oslo Convention authorized the destruction of approximately 1.5 million cluster munitions.

Despite its expansion, the Oslo Convention has not prevented hundreds of cluster munitions from being dropped on Ukrainian soil. Since Ukraine and Russia are not parties to the Oslo Convention, nothing obliges them to withdraw from it. However, they remain subject to international law governing periods of war. However, indiscriminate weapons are contrary to the principle of target discrimination as defined by the Geneva Convention.

“Condemnations (Editor’s note on the use of cluster munitions) are important to strengthen the standard under the Oslo Convention;Marion Loddo recalls. A methodology based on the stigmatization of the use of this type of weapon is bearing fruit. In the NATO countries (not all signatories of the Oslo Convention, editor’s note) that provided military assistance to Ukraine, not a single person transferred cluster munitions.says Marion Guillaume, disarmament and civil defense advocate at Handicap International.