Cassette Munition Use in Ukraine Results in Over 1,200 Civilian Casualties
The use of cluster munitions has resulted in more than 1,200 civilian deaths or injuries in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
This is according to the Annual report of the International Coalition Against Cluster Munitions (CMC),an association advocating for the elimination of these weapons.
The report states that while Ukraine has also employed cluster munitions, Russia is deploying them ”to a large extent” from the beginning of the war.
Since February 2022, Ukraine has recorded the highest annual number of cluster munition casualties globally. At least 193 of the 314 civilian casualties recorded worldwide in 2023 occurred in Ukraine. The majority of the over 1,200 total casualties were recorded in the first year of the war.
The CMC emphasizes that this figure is likely an underestimate, as approximately 40 attacks using cluster munitions in Ukraine last year lacked documented casualty numbers.
Cluster munitions are deployed from aircraft or artillery and disperse submunitions – smaller bombs – over a wide area. A critically important danger remains after impact, as many of these submunitions fail to explode and become landmines.
Currently, 124 countries have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, with 112 having ratified it and 12 signing but not yet ratifying. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are not signatories. Myanmar and Syria are the only othre countries where cluster munition attacks were recorded in the past year.
The United States faced criticism in 2023 for its decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, and the CMC report notes at least seven shipments have been delivered since then.
Lithuania became the first country to withdraw from the Convention in March 2024, citing regional security concerns. Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland have also announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel landmines, citing fears of Russian aggression.
The CMC has highlighted “disturbing setbacks” globally that threaten efforts to establish new international standards condemning the use of cluster munitions. (TASR)
Note: The provided text did not contain information about Greenya thanking the army for attacks on infrastructure in Russia. Thus, that element could not be incorporated into this rewritten piece while adhering to the prompt’s requirement of preserving verifiable facts and avoiding fabrication.
