The number of victims of cluster munitions on the planet has increased to a maximum: 1172 people were killed and injured, 890 of them in Ukraine.
IN report Cluster Munition Monitor says that in 2022, a total of eight states in the world recorded the highest rate since 2010. The largest number of dead and wounded is in Ukraine (890), in second place is Syria (84), in third is Myanmar (13).
Cluster munitions are weapons that affect a wide area. Exploding over the target, they scatter a huge amount of smaller ammunition contained in them. The use of these weapons is controversial, since many small elements do not explode immediately and pose a threat to the civilian population later – 95% of all victims of cluster bombs last year were civilians.
The Cluster Munition Monitor report claims that Russia has repeatedly used cluster munitions in Ukraine since February 2022, since the invasion. Kyiv began to use them during the counteroffensive. The US decision to supply these weapons to Ukraine has drawn sharp criticism from non-governmental organizations.
US leadership clarifies decision to allow the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine. Washington says that Kyiv has given certain guarantees that these weapons will be used responsibly. Colin Kahl, US Deputy Secretary of Defense, says:
“We are working with Ukraine to minimize the risks associated with this decision. The Ukrainian government has provided us with written guarantees for the responsible use of munitions, including that they will not use these rounds in towns and cities, and that they will record where these rounds were used, which will facilitate subsequent demining efforts.”
More than 100 countries of the world have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, adopted in 2008, but Russia and Ukraine are not among them.
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