U.S. to send cluster bombs to Ukraine

The munitions are part of a new $800 million military aid package for the war effort against Russia. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International criticized the decision due to the high risk of civilian casualties associated with cluster munitions.

What are cluster munitions? They are bombs that open in the air, releasing smaller bomblets over a wide area. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some bomblets have up to a 40 percent chance of failure to explode when they land, leaving an active threat to civilians. The Pentagon said the weapons it is sending to Ukraine have a “dud rate” of less than 3 percent. A Pentagon spokesman also noted that Russia has used cluster bombs in Ukraine since the start of the war.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Muncy’s report in The Sift on the damage and civilian casualties Russian cluster bombs caused in Ukraine.