Human Rights Watch: Russia and Ukraine use cluster munitions

According to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Russian armed forces have used internationally banned cluster munitions in Ukraine. As a result, hundreds of civilians lost their lives and schools, apartment buildings and hospitals were damaged, the human rights organization reported Monday evening in Geneva. The Ukrainian army has also used this munition at least once.

There is an international treaty banning the use, stockpiling, trade and production of cluster munitions since 2010. However, strictly speaking, only the 110 contracting states are bound by it. Russia and Ukraine are not among them. However, the widespread condemnation of many countries made the use of these weapons internationally banned.

Hundreds of cluster munition attacks

Human Rights Watch reported that Russia’s use of such munitions has been documented in several cities, including Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. According to local media reports, nine people waiting in front of an ATM were killed by cluster shells in Mykolaiv on March 13. It is difficult to say how many tasks there were in the total, but the organization assumes hundreds.

Human Rights Watch said that Ukraine used such munitions in a village near Kharkiv that was reportedly under Russian control. According to Ukrainian information, by May 9, nearly 100,000 landmines and cluster munitions had been recovered and deactivated.