The rocket type and serial number indicate that this is a weapon used exclusively by the Russian army
Moscow’s general staff wants impunity if it wants to authorize several attacks with banned weapons. The debris of the “cluster bombs” was found in different areas, the deadly cluster bombs intended to hit hundreds of meters indiscriminately.
Several images that have reached Avvenire confirm what is no longer just a hypothesis. So far, some raids have been conducted by dropping the “RBK500,” bombs widely used in Syria by Assad’s army and associated Russian forces and militias. As you can see in the picture, in the past few days there have been new finds in Pokrovsk, a town of 75,000 in the disputed Lugansk region.
In the past, Russian forces have accused the Kiev military of firing rockets prohibited by international conventions, but evidence gathered on the ground tells a different story. In particular, a guided missile from the “9M54 series, known for its ability to deploy a large number of small explosives, was found, with the serial number still visible on the carcass. Generally, upon impact, the myriad of explosives are dispersed over an area the size of a soccer field. The rebound causes the bombs to explode in midair, often at eye level. Duds, on the other hand, remain on the ground and can explode if touched, similar to antipersonnel mines. The skeleton of the missile shows a serial number confirming that production took place in 2019, “after Russia stopped selling these weapons to Ukraine explains Amnesty International and this indicates that the attack was launched from Russia started”.
More than 100 countries have banned the use of “cluster bombs” and signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Russia and Ukraine did not sign the agreement, although Kyiv also has these weapons in its arsenal. Kyiv has firmly denied the use of cluster munitions during the conflict with separatists since 2014. A Human Rights Watch report said they were “probably” used in certain circumstances.
In recent days, the BBC has shown the images and some videos to four weapons experts, including Sam CrannyEvans, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, who says the videos match “cluster bombs” detonating. . The investigative body Bellingcat is following the reports and reviewing the complaints, most of which show the use of these devices by the Russian military. In several cases, the line of fire could also be reconstructed.
In the last few days there have been unconfirmed rumors of bullets and white phosphorus bombs, the use of which proves terrible wounds in the survivors. Field investigators from the international judiciary are verifying these claims, while it is certain that thermobaric bombs have been deployed since the first day of the invasion, with warheads loaded in missiles designed for this subclass of volume weapons. They consist of a fuel tank and two separate explosive charges. When a volumetric weapon is dropped or thrown, the first charge will detonate to scatter the fuel particles. The second charge ignites fuel and oxygen in the air, creating a shockwave of extreme pressure and heat so extreme it has the potential to reverberate in an enclosed space and create a partial vacuum. Thermobaric bombs aimed at military structures are accurate and devastating. But outdoor use, like in Kyiv, is banned because the blast proves indiscriminate massacres of civilians.