Dear MEL Topic Readers
What are the cluster munitions the US is supplying Ukraine with and why are they so controversial?
The progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces has been slower than expected. So, Ukraine’s forces need more weapons and ammunition to advance. But there is a limitation in the supply of already-used conventional weapons and ammunition by the US and its allies. So, the US has decided to provide a highly controversial weapon called cluster munitions. Cluster munitions are a class of weapons that contain multiple explosive bomblets called submunitions. The ones the US has decided to send to Ukraine are to be fired from Howitzer artillery weapons already deployed by the Ukrainian army. Each shell contains 88 bomblets, which are fused by a timer to explode and spread shrapnel to kill troops or take out armored vehicles like tanks. The munitions are controversial because of their failure, or dud, rate of the bomblets. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years and can be detonated later on, often by civilians by accident. Over 100 countries ban cluster munitions but the US, Ukraine, and Russia don’t.
So, what’s next? Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) such as chemical, biological, or nuclear? In modern history, leaders have made crucial decisions during wars in the name of defense. How will Russia react?
Read the article and learn about another scale-up of the war in Ukraine.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/07/europe/cluster-munitions-us-ukraine-aid-explainer-intl-hnk-ml/index.html
What are the cluster munitions the US is supplying Ukraine with and why are they so controversial?
The progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces has been slower than expected. So, Ukraine’s forces need more weapons and ammunition to advance. But there is a limitation in the supply of already-used conventional weapons and ammunition by the US and its allies. So, the US has decided to provide a highly controversial weapon called cluster munitions. Cluster munitions are a class of weapons that contain multiple explosive bomblets called submunitions. The ones the US has decided to send to Ukraine are to be fired from Howitzer artillery weapons already deployed by the Ukrainian army. Each shell contains 88 bomblets, which are fused by a timer to explode and spread shrapnel to kill troops or take out armored vehicles like tanks. The munitions are controversial because of their failure, or dud, rate of the bomblets. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years and can be detonated later on, often by civilians by accident. Over 100 countries ban cluster munitions but the US, Ukraine, and Russia don’t.
So, what’s next? Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) such as chemical, biological, or nuclear? In modern history, leaders have made crucial decisions during wars in the name of defense. How will Russia react?
Read the article and learn about another scale-up of the war in Ukraine.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/07/europe/cluster-munitions-us-ukraine-aid-explainer-intl-hnk-ml/index.html
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