Why Cluster Bombs Are so Deadly for Civilian Populations

Cluster bombs inflict heavy civilian casualties, giving the weapons a reputation as an indiscriminate killer that should be outlawed. But according to a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday, Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in the city of Donetsk in early October. That, the report warns, may constitute a war crime.

Despite their imprecise nature, cluster bombs remain a popular weapon in conflicts around the globe. The weapons have been used by numerous militaries, including in Syria and South Sudan in 2014, by Russian and Georgian forces in 2008, by Israel and Lebanon in 2006, and by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To date, 114 countries have joined a 2008 treaty banning  cluster munitions. But Ukraine has not, along with many arms-manufacturing countries. China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States have also refrained from signing the treaty.

Cluster munitions can contain hundreds of smaller munitions, or “submunitions,” in a container such as a rocket or a bomb. The bombs disperse from their container while in flight or shortly before impact and explode when they hit the ground. Upon impact, the bomblets spread indiscriminately over areas as large as a football field, putting anyone nearby — whether they be combatant or civilian — at risk.

Yet, despite — or perhaps because of — the destructive power of cluster munitions, they continue to play a role in global conflicts.

Human Rights Watch found strong evidence of several cluster munition attacks in Ukraine. The group analyzed the impact sites and determined that the weapons had been fired from territory controlled by Ukrainian government forces. The report also cites testimony from individuals who witnessed cluster munitions attacks. Several of those witnesses were injured in the explosions.

“I heard a loud bang, my ears were blocked,” Boris Melikhov, who was wounded in the leg, told Human Rights Watch from his home in Donetsk. “I felt a jolt in the back, and was thrown forward two or three meters.”

Another resident, Ivan Borlov, who was injured in the arm near the town of Starobesheve said: “There was a rumbling sound and then the bombs began to fall down — boom, boom, boom.”

Cluster munitions were first developed to increase the effectiveness of airstrikes and have been in use since before World War II. Early versions were essentially a set of smaller bombs held together by a breakable link. The cluster would be dropped from a plane, separating during descent to ensure maximum damage within a given area.

Modern day munitions are more compact and are more likely to inflict civilian casualties. For example, the Russian-made Uragan and Smerch rockets, the use of which were documented in eastern Ukraine by Human Rights Watch, have a long range and vastly more submunitions.

The Uragan rocket delivers 9N210 and 9N235 submunitions and has a maximum range of approximately 22 miles. The 9N210 submunition contains 370 metal fragments that disperse upon detonation. Each rocket contains 30 submunitions. The Smerch rocket delivers the 9N235 submunition to a maximum range of approximately 43 miles. Each Smerch rocket contains 72 9N235 submunition, each of which contain 395 fragments.

In addition to their indiscriminate spread of huge amounts of shrapnel, many of the submunitions do not explode upon contact and remain armed — becoming de facto landmines. Any location contaminated with undetonated submunitions remains hazardous until cleared by deminers.

The government of Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied using cluster munitions during the conflict that started in April. It has not responded to a letter sent by the Cluster Munition Coalition in July or a letter sent by Human Rights Watch on Oct. 13.