Even with the eyes of the world on him, Vladimir Putin refuses to respect the international moral norms of warfare.
Perhaps we shouldn’t expect too much from a man who’s been lying through his teeth in order to justify his unjustifiable attack on Ukraine. This is, after all, the way that Putin tends to operate.
But the recently discovered evidence of Russia’s use of a banned weapon in Ukraine has humanitarian groups crying foul.
Russian military forces have used cluster munitions — a highly controversial weapon banned by many countries — against at least two civilian targets during its invasion of Ukraine, according to two international humanitarian organizations.
Seven people died and 11 were injured in the bombings attributed to Russia, which has been known to use cluster munitions in warfare, possibly as recently as two years ago in Syria.
“Russian forces should stop using cluster munitions and end unlawful attacks with weapons that indiscriminately kill and maim,” Steve Goose, arms director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
These weapons are insidious in nature.
Once fired, cluster munitions open in midair and rain down dozens or even hundreds of smaller submunitions, or “bomblets,” over a large area the size of one or more football fields.
The munitions are notoriously difficult to control, striking nearby targets indiscriminately, which is why international human rights groups say they shouldn’t be used anywhere near civilian populations, if at all.
Furthermore, the propensity of these weapons to dispense unexploded rounds will make rescue and cleanup efforts all the more deadly.
