US-Provided Cluster Munitions Used by Ukraine in Push to Break Russian Defences

Kiev has reportedly initiated the use of US-made cluster artillery shells, according to the Washington Post, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter. The controversial munitions are being employed in an effort to break through Moscow's defensive lines and revitalize Ukraine's stalled counteroffensive. The US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine has sparked international controversy. Despite being banned in over 100 countries and facing opposition from human rights groups, the so-called dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICMs) arrived in Ukraine last week. President Joe Biden defended the move as a stopgap measure, claiming a shortage of standard NA

However, even Washington's allies, including the UK, Canada, and Spain, have criticized the decision. The UN has also expressed concerns about the potential use of such munitions on civilians. Cluster shells, containing multiple smaller submunitions, pose a significant threat due to their higher dud rates, leaving unexploded bomblets that can remain dangerous for years.

To make the delivery possible, the US had to bypass its own rules, as it had previously prohibited exports of weaponry with dud rates exceeding 1%. The DPICMs supplied to Ukraine have a dud rate of at least 2.35%. Despite Washington's insistence that Ukraine will use the cluster weaponry responsibly, concerns arise from the Ukrainian military's history of indiscriminate use of controversial munitions from its domestic Soviet-era stockpiles.

The use of cluster munitions has been a contentious issue globally, leading to the signing of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) by over 100 nations in 2008. However, neither Ukraine, the US, nor Russia are parties to the convention. Moscow has reacted strongly to the US decision, vowing to respond in kind and use "equivalent weapons" in the conflict.

The situation raises serious concerns about the potential impact on civilians and escalates tensions between the involved nations. As international opposition grows, the use of cluster munitions in the conflict continues to be a highly controversial and sensitive issue. The use of cluster munitions in the theater of war has serious potential ramifications especially when viewed in the backdrop of Russia's position with respect to possibility of use of nuclear weapons should Russia face an existential threat.