The Biden administration is sending cluster munitions to Ukraine on top of the $800 million it is providing for war efforts against Russia.
According to two U.S. officials, the Pentagon will be sending Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, as well as an array of ammunition, such as rounds for howitzers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
I’ve been expecting this largely because we’re running out of conventional munitions. https://t.co/wOgJc1WlkV
— Big Serge ☦️🇺🇸🇷🇺 (@witte_sergei) July 5, 2023
The small “bomblets” that are released by these cluster munitions are intended to kill people and destroy vehicles. They can be transported in tens to hundreds in a single cluster munition or canister.
These bomblets have been controversial because once the shrapnel from them is unleashed, it does not have a specific target and could pose a threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure.
U.S. officials said that the cluster munitions that the country will send will have a lower “dud rate,” or fewer unexploded rounds, to reduce civilian casualties.
While using cluster bombs is not a violation of international law, using them against civilians is. Both Russia and Ukraine have used cluster munitions since the war began early last year.
Ukrainian officials have asked for assistance to aid their campaign to push against Russian forces and make gains in the ongoing counteroffensive.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that the Department of Defense had “multiple variants” of the munitions, and, “the ones that we are considering providing would not include older variants with (unexploding) rates that are higher than 2.35%.”
Ryder would not disclose iff Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has contacted NATO allies to discuss any of their concerns regarding the deployment of cluster weapons. He added that the U.S. is aware of reports that particular munitions have higher rates of unexploded bombs.
The brigadier general went on to explain that cluster munitions would help Ukraine by penetrating armor and fragmenting so they could hit multiple personnel, which he described as “a capability that would be useful in any type of offensive operations.”
Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, expressed her gratitude to the U.S. for helping them turn the tides in the war.
“We will have to de-mine anyway, but it’s better to have this capability,” Ustinova said.
