There are very few informed people on the plant who believed that Russia was going to play by the rules when it came to their invasion of Ukraine, and not just in their general decision to attempt a takeover of the sovereign nation; which in and of itself is a fairly powerful indicator of Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to adhere to the generally accepted practices of diplomacy.
No, on top of that rather unforgivable sin, Putin’s military is now engaged in what military folks refer to as “indiscriminate” warfare, where the welfare of ordinary citizens is no longer taken into account.
Then, to make matters worse, it appears as though these advancing troops are now using weapons banned by several nations.
Russian military forces have used cluster munitions — a highly controversial weapon banned by many countries — against at least two civilian targets during its invasion of Ukraine, according to two international humanitarian organizations.
Seven people died and 11 were injured in the bombings attributed to Russia, which has been known to use cluster munitions in warfare, possibly as recently as two years ago in Syria.
“Russian forces should stop using cluster munitions and end unlawful attacks with weapons that indiscriminately kill and maim,” Steve Goose, arms director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
And why are these weapons so controversial?
Once fired, cluster munitions open in midair and rain down dozens or even hundreds of smaller submunitions, or “bomblets,” over a large area the size of one or more football fields.
The munitions are notoriously difficult to control, striking nearby targets indiscriminately, which is why international human rights groups say they shouldn’t be used anywhere near civilian populations, if at all.
Further compounding the morality of “cluster” munitions are the number of unexploded devices that often remain, which pose a safety hazard to first responders and others.
