Great danger to civilians
US considers delivering cluster munitions to Ukraine
7/6/2023 9:56 p.m
Although it is efficient, it is highly controversial in humanitarian terms: Cluster munitions could help Ukraine in its counter-offensive. Now the US is considering making these bombs available to Kiev. There is sharp criticism for this.
According to media reports, the USA wants to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions for the counter-offensive against Russia. The radio station NPR and the newspaper “New York Times” reported, citing US government officials, that a corresponding announcement should be made soon. The news channel CNN spoke of an announcement expected for Friday. The news portal “Politico” reported that US President Joe Biden still had to make a final decision.
When asked by a reporter about a possible delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine, a White House spokesman said US Chief of Staff Mark Milley had already made it clear that this was being “actively” examined. “I have no announcement to make at this time.” The US would focus on providing Ukraine with a “wide range of ammunition” to help the country defend itself against Russia.
According to military experts, cluster bombs could help Ukraine in its counter-offensive against Russian troops, who have entrenched themselves in trenches, among other things. However, cluster munitions are internationally banned. The bombs release up to hundreds of smaller explosive devices, many of which do not detonate immediately. They can therefore continue to kill or injure people long after they are dropped and are therefore a particular danger to the civilian population.
Prohibited under the Oslo Convention
An international agreement that came into force in 2010 – the so-called Oslo Convention – bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of cluster munitions. However, neither the USA nor Ukraine have joined the agreement, nor have Russia and China, for example. In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, both warring parties use cluster munitions.
The US is Ukraine’s main supporter in the war and has already supplied Kiev with billions in arms and ammunition. However, there was immediate sharp criticism of a possible delivery of cluster bombs. “It would be escalating, counterproductive and would only increase the dangers to civilians who are trapped in combat zones or who will one day return to their cities and farms,” said the executive director of the US NGO Arms Control Association. , Daryl Kimball. In addition, the effectiveness of cluster munitions is exaggerated.
The human rights organization Amnesty International also spoke out against such a delivery. Cluster munitions “pose a major threat to civilian life, even long after a conflict has ended,” Amnesty said. Delivery and deployment by any country is in any case incompatible with international law.