The clues and evidence of war crimes committed in Ukraine by the Russian army are accumulating as the troops withdraw from the kyiv region to move towards the east of the country. Accusations have multiplied in recent weeks, whether they come from NGOs, from testimonies reported by the media or from official Ukrainian sources.
In addition to indiscriminate bombardments, rapes, summary executions or looting, the use of cluster munitions, prohibited by international conventions, has also been singled out. These are shells, rockets or even missiles filled with small bombs dispersing randomly over large areas.
Recently, it was in the town of Borodianka, northwest of kyiv, that the Russians allegedly used cluster bombs and heavy multiple rocket launchers “which bring death and destruction”, according to Iryna Venediktova. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine also reported 26 bodies found in the rubble of two apartment buildings on Thursday April 7.
Weapons used at least 24 times since the start of the invasion
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, had already reported on March 30 “credible allegations that the Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times” since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. If the use of such weapons were proven in Borodianka, the number would therefore now be higher.
The use of cluster bombs was notably reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on February 28 in Kharkiv (east), during three separate attacks in Mykolaiv (south), and near a hospital in Vougledar ( east), February 24. According to Amnesty International, a kindergarten where civilians were taking refuge in Okhtyrka (north-east) was also hit on February 25 by these weapons. In addition, Ukraine has announced that it has “evidence” of the use by Russian forces of cluster munitions in two southern regions of its territory, those of Odessa and Kherson.
“Russia uses cluster bombs and we have information on the use of other types of weapons in violation of international law,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, on March 4. Moscow rejects these accusations, even accusing the Ukrainian authorities of organizing “staging”. A senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, meanwhile clarified on April 5 that “allegations that Ukrainian forces used ‘cluster munitions’ are also being investigated.”
An “immediate” threat to civilians
Cluster munitions generate a “genuine carpet of bombs which then fall without precision on large surfaces”, explains Handicap International on his website. These bombs do not target specific targets and represent an “immediate” threat to civilians, recalls Human Rights Watch. Banned in 2010 by a international conventionsigned by 119 States – but not by Russia and Ukraine, these weapons have been used in several conflicts, notably in Yemen, Syria or Sudan.
“Cluster munitions have deadly consequences for civilians, killing or injuring large numbers of them, and are the cause of lasting socio-economic problems, points out the International Committee of the Red Crossnoting that their “presence also makes agriculture unsafe and hampers the reconstruction and development of vital infrastructure such as roads, railway lines and power stations”.
Moreover, they continue to represent a threat even after the end of the conflicts since, as explained by HRW, these weapons leave behind them explosive remnants, in particular submunitions which do not explode on impact, becoming so landmines de facto.