Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that Russia’s forces in Ukraine will begin using cluster munitions in response to Washington’s decision to supply the weapons to Kyiv.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that Russia’s forces in Ukraine will begin using cluster munitions in response to Washington’s decision to supply the weapons to Kyiv.
I thought the Russians were already using cluster bombs freely in Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, where their own people are pushed to live, so that they can Russify it. @lusterko, can you comment on this? I got my info from Monday’s Telegraph podcast ep. It’s called “Ukraine: The Latest”, maybe I misunderstood.
I’ve never heard of russians purposefully shelling territories that they occupy at the moment. The only instance that comes tomind is them accidentally bombing Donetsk city last year, but I don’t think they used cluster munitions.
I guess what they meant in the podcast is that russians use cluster munitions without any regards for the future, as their munitions have ~30-40% fail rate. Meaning that 30-40% bomblets don’t explode, but will remain on the ground until demined, or somebody stumbles upon it.
Thank you. The Ukranian MOD says they have a plan to control cluster usage, track the trajectory of these types of bombs, so that they can destroy unexploded munitions after re-taking control of occupied territory. GIS can only do so much, though. I hate that they have been pushed to this expedient. However, the countryside seems to be littered with unexploded ordnance of all types anyways, improvised or factory-made. How do the Ukranians who are planning the next decades of demining keep from getting mentally burnt out? I used to make GIS maps for the military, I wish I could help.