But the effectiveness doesn’t diminish the controversy surrounding those same cluster weapons, Osinga knows. “The delivery of cluster weapons is extremely sensitive and controversial,” he says. “More than a hundred countries have signed a treaty prohibiting its use, possession and use.”
‘The delivery of cluster weapons is extremely sensitive and controversial’
And that has everything to do with the underlying danger of a cluster bomb. When a cluster bomb explodes, all sorts of smaller bombs are released, some of which may even remain intact. According to Osinga, these have caused thousands of deaths in the Middle East and Africa in recent years. “And that’s the problem: On the one hand, cluster bombs have operational utility because they help Ukraine fight off the numerical advantage of the Russians on the front lines,” Osinga said. “But then there’s a good chance that farmers working their land in the aftermath of war, or civilians walking around, will eventually come into contact with the cluster munitions left behind.”
Argumentation
According to Osinga, it was the Ukrainian argument that convinced the Americans. “Ukraine has now said it needs those cluster weapons because they are waging a counteroffensive,” Osinga said. “Cluster munitions are one of the few types of munitions that are effective and they emphasize that it’s their country and they know the risks.”
The Ukrainians also claim that the cities along the front line have already been torn apart and that there are still very few civilians in that area, while the Russians continue to bomb those cities non-stop. Osinga: ‘Ukraine says it will not use its weapons in cities, but rather in the trenches. And that would spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.”
New escalation
While the Russians might frame it as a “new escalation,” Osinga doesn’t think that will happen. If he did, it would be a “hypocritical move”. “The Russians themselves have used cluster weapons several times over the past year,” she concludes. “Even in Kramatorsk. They even use it for targets in cities.’