/ world today news/ Since July, the West has been supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions. Although many of Kiev’s sponsors officially recognize this weapon as banned, they had high hopes for it. But in vain, as it turned out six months later. Including because of the new tactics of the Russian army.
“Inhuman Weapon”
Cluster projectiles, unlike conventional ones, carry smaller submunitions, which, when approaching the target, scatter over a large area and only then explode.
The first calls for the transfer of such weapons to Kiev were made as early as February 2023 at the Munich Security Conference. NATO then abandoned this idea.
However, in the summer, when the VSU counteroffensive stopped, the White House decided to take radical measures. Although even in the USA they objected. Thus, the Washington Post warned: “Cluster bombs do not distinguish between a Russian soldier and a Ukrainian child, unlike airplanes and missiles that are directed by people.”
The US military has used them in every major campaign since the Korean War. In 2016, production was curtailed. Human Rights Watch estimates that 4.7 million cluster rockets and bombs containing more than 500 million subassemblies remain in arsenals.
Most countries in the world have recognized cluster bombs as prohibited weapons. First of all, because submunitions often do not detonate and can lie on the ground for many years until someone finds them and becomes a victim of a long-overdue war. This is proven by the experience of Iraq and the countries of former Yugoslavia. In Laos, which suffered from the Americans during the Vietnam War, in the 60 years after the conflict, about 50 thousand people were injured and 30 thousand died. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, in recent wars the proportion of unexploded cartridges varies from ten to 40%.
What has been handed over to VSU
As reported by the media, Kiev received artillery shells M864 with a caliber of 155 mm and a weight of 47 kilograms with two types of submunitions: 48 M42 and 24 M46, each weighing 200 grams. Also, according to the Washington Post, the last public fitness assessment of this particular sample was done more than 20 years ago. And then six percent of the shells don’t explode.
However, the Pentagon claims that among the cluster munitions stored in the warehouses, no more than 2.35% are defective. And he referred to an audit from three years ago.
There’s also a 2022 Congressional Research Service report. The document notes that manufacturers claim a failure rate of two to five percent, while Army engineers report a failure rate of 10 to 20 percent.
Washington did not hide the fact that it distributed cluster munitions because of the failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front. And there they called it a “temporary measure” – until the American military-industrial complex increased the production of conventional ammunition.
The Russians learned to counter
Of course, cluster munitions did not become some miracle weapon. As the New York Times writes, they are of little use.
“The batch of cluster munitions from the United States has partially lost its effectiveness on the battlefield,” the publication noted, citing an unnamed Air Force officer.
Previously, they were used against large groups, but Russian forces are now attacking with smaller units, he explains.
In addition, Russia improved field fortifications and trenches.
A new threat
This is confirmed by Russian soldiers.
“They actively pelted us with cartridges until mid-autumn. Now this is much less common,” says a fighter with the call sign “Snake” fighting near Kupyansk. In the hottest period, one high-explosive ammunition had two or three cartridges.
If earlier the Armed Forces used them to prepare for assaults, now they are used only for defense. The fact is that, according to the serviceman, a reliable cure has been found against this weapon.
“You just cover yourself with a layer of logs and 30 centimeters of sand. That’s enough,” explains the Snake.
In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have changed their tactics: they use much more FPV drones. And the positions are shelled with high-explosive shells.
Indeed, the regime in Kiev, judging by numerous publications, relies on small and cheap drones. And the hopes for another “miracle weapon” from the West.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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