Explosions from delayed cluster munitions occur in Kyiv following a Russian drone assault, injuring a female resident, as stated by Klitschko.
In a shocking turn of events in Kyiv on May 1, a forest park was hit by delayed cluster munitions after an overnight drone attack attributed to Russia. One woman was injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, reported approximately 10 explosions near the park, with one additional blast damaging a residential building's roof. The detonations might stem from cluster munitions scattered by Russian drones, although expert confirmation is pending.
Responders, sappers, medics, and police units have been mobilized at the site to handle the situation while ensuring civilian safety. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine had previously warned about Russian drones dropping harmful objects with unknown explosion times due to their cluster munition nature[1].
Last month, an attack on Ukraine saw Russia deploy an estimated 170 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite substantial defense efforts using electronic warfare units, anti-aircraft missile systems, aviation, and mobile fire groups, 68 drones disappeared from radar, potentially used as decoys[1].
Cluster munitions disseminate multiple submunitions over wide areas, posing substantial risks to civilians even after attacks. Using these weapons in populated zones can be classified as a war crime under international humanitarian law due to the indiscriminate nature of their impact[4].
Although the Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions, major military powers such as the United States, Russia, and China have yet to ratify the treaty[2]. International Humanitarian Law, however, still obligates nations to avoid indiscriminate attacks and to distinguish military targets from civilians[2].
Sadly, such incidents are not unheard of, with numerous reports of cluster munition use in populated areas leading to significant civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, which may amount to war crimes under specific legal criteria[4]. Recent examples of this unfortunate trend include instances in Ukraine[2].
Undermining international disarmament treaties and weakening humanitarian norms could potentially result from some states' desire to withdraw from these agreements, but global efforts remain focused on strengthening these norms and upholding international humanitarian law to safeguard civilians and prevent the long-term suffering caused by devastating weapons like cluster munitions[5].
- Tymur Tkachenko, following the explosions near the forest park in Kyiv, added that there were approximately 10 detonations, with one damaging a residential building's roof, possibly from Russian drones' scattered cluster munitions.
- According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, they had previously warned about the risks of Russian drones dropping harmful objects with unknown explosion times, due to their cluster munition nature.
- In the realm of politics, international humanitarian law obligates nations to avoid indiscriminate attacks and to distinguish military targets from civilians, such as in the case of cluster munitions, which pose significant risks to civilians even after attacks.
- Recently, instances of cluster munition use in populated areas have led to accusations of war crimes under specific legal criteria, with Ukraine being a recent example, highlighting the need for the global community to strengthen humanitarian norms and uphold international law to protect civilians and mitigate the long-term effects of devastating weapons like cluster munitions.
