Russian forces pinned down a Ukrainian platoon until Ukraine's artillery provided a cover with cluster munitions, causing heavy casualties among the Russian ranks and forcing them to retreat. The announcement that the U.S. was sending cluster munitions to Ukraine was seen as controversial due to humanitarian concerns over their use. Cluster munitions scatter bomblets over a wide area. While Russian forces have been using munitions with a dud rate of 30-40%, the U.S.-provided cluster munitions would have a dud rate not higher than 2.5%, according to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Over 120 countries banned using, developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling, or transferring cluster munitions in the 2010 convention.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 09, 2023 08:08 UTC