Moscow Using Banned Cluster Munitions In Ukraine

Web Desk — Human Rights Watch (HRW) found that Russia used the same type of cluster munitions in Ukraine that it used in Idlib, Syria, two years ago, Middle East Eye reported.

According to the group, a Russian ballistic missile carrying cluster munitions landed outside a hospital in the Donetsk region on Monday, killing four civilians and wounding 10 others, including six healthcare workers. It was an 9M79-series Tochka ballistic missile with a 9N123 cluster munition warhead, HRW said.

Russia and Ukraine have not signed the 2008 international treaty that bans these munitions.

In a statement, HRW said member states of the treaty should condemn the attack and use of such weapons.

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Several civilians have been killed, injured, and a hospital has been damaged in this callous attack,” said Steve Goose, HRW’s arms director. Russian forces should stop using cluster munitions and cease using weapons that indiscriminately kill and maim.”

According to reports, the incident occurred on 24 February, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine.

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Cluster munitions are notorious for their indiscriminate damage and high fatality rates. HRW reports that the type used in Ukraine and Syria explodes midair, scattering dozens of small bomblets over an area about the size of a football field. When an explosion fails, hundreds of bomblets fall to the ground, creating a minefield.