For those following Russia’s war in Ukraine, one major development that is worth discussing is the USA confirmed it was sending cluster bombs to the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine had been asking for such munitions from the US since the unprovoked invasion started on February 2022, as it sought to defend itself from and drive away the Russian invaders that have been using cluster munitions from the get go of their “special military operation.”
One instance where cluster munitions were used by Russia was the April 2022 strike on a Ukrainian train station that killed at least 50 people and injured about 300 others. Ukraine, which is currently engaged in a counter offensive which began last month, had repeatedly stressed the need for such munitions if it is to succeed in driving back the Russians who have had the luxury of time to dig into defensive positions over the winter lull in fighting.
US President Joe Biden called it a “very difficult decision,” and in response, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Spain said they were opposed to the use of the weapons which have been banned in more than 100 countries because of the danger they pose to civilians.
Cluster munitions are a type of rocket, bomb or missile that releases tens or hundreds of smaller explosive submunitions when fired, making them much more effective against enemy troops and armor. However, the problem with cluster munitions is that a percentage of the submunitions fail to explode on impact, which could explode later if disturbed or mishandled. It is those unexploded submunitions that have the potential to harm civilians.
A 2008 treaty – the Convention on Cluster Munitions – banned the productions, use, and stockpiling of cluster munitions in 108 countries. The USA, Ukraine, and Russia, have however not signed the treaty.
This would be the primary reason why some western allies of the US have refused to endorse its decision to arm Ukraine with cluster munitions.
So far, only Germany, a signatory of the treaty, has said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American position.
Ukraine’s defense minister has given assurances the cluster bombs would only be used to break through enemy defense lines, and not in urban areas.
Russia of course, also condemned the US decision, saying it would litter the land for generations, this is despite they are the invader that made extensive use of cluster bombs during the war, even in urban areas and against civilian targets.
The discussion on cluster bombs is a good opportunity to talk about the war in Ukraine, something that I’ve been following closely ever since it broke out. If you come to think of it, cluster bombs are clearly weapons that shouldn’t be allowed to exist because they don’t discriminate and have a high potential of harming or killing civilians, especially after the fighting has moved on in war zones that have been peppered with it.
However, in fairness to the Ukrainians who are only defending their territory and driving out one of the most inept but deadly invaders in the history of the world, they wouldn’t need cluster munitions in the first place, if Vladimir Putin’s war hadn’t been wrought upon their land and their people. They only need these effective but deadly weapons of war because there are Russian invaders in their land.
I believe that if we were to ask a Ukrainian on their opinion on cluster bombs, they’d probably say that whatever collateral deaths and destruction that cluster munitions may and can cause as in the fight to liberate the country is better than the damage currently being wrought by the Russian soldiers who are illegally occupying their territory who are laying mines, committing war crimes, killing, raping, torturing, and kidnapping, among the many other indescribable evils that came with this war.
If cluster bombs will help end this war sooner, by making it easier to break down the defenses that the invader put up on the territory it illegally occupied so they can be kicked out of the country they attacked, the people who are most affected by this war would probably be willing to take the risks that go with it.
The Ukrainians didn’t want to need cluster bombs. They didn’t want to have to ask for western tanks, air defense systems, HIMARS, Javelins, Storm Shadows, and F-16s. But they are fighting for their survival and that requires the most effective weapons of war they can get their hands on. If Russia doesn’t want more cluster bombs to enter the war, then maybe they can pull their troops out of Ukraine, so such weapons will no longer be necessary.
As long as the Russians keep insisting on prosecuting this war they started, then they will just have to deal with the weapons that the Ukrainians are managing to get from the international community.
Because as the saying goes, all is fair, in love and war.*
