The supply of this ammunition is not unanimous, being criticized by NGOs and being banned in several countries, especially in Europe.
“It was a very difficult decision for me.” In confirming the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday, July 7, United States President Joe Biden is aware of the criticism he is facing. This new announcement is part of an $800 million aid package, bringing US aid to more than $41 billion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
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Franceinfo revisits this post, which is seen as another step towards “victory” for Volodymyr Zelenskyy but has been criticized by NGOs who fear long-term collateral damage.
1What are the special features of these weapons?
So-called cluster munitions scatter or release small charges intended to detonate before or after impact. According to a UN report (PDF document), they can release “hundreds”, even “thousands”. According to the Pentagon, they can be used both for armor-piercing and against ground forces, and will “clearly be useful for all types of offensive operations.” They also make it possible to cover “a large perimeter” and “target, for example, an artillery battery that has just fired and is repositioning itself,” assures Stéphane Audrand, international risk advisor, on Twitter.
The advantage of a volley of missiles or cluster munitions is that they “treat” a large perimeter, making it possible to attack, for example, an artillery battery that has just been launched and is repositioning itself. General radar localization may be sufficient for good target acquisition10/
— Stephane Audrand (@AudrandS) July 8, 2023
According to the Washington Post, the United States will provide 155mm artillery shells, the M864, which have been in service since 1987. Each of their shells “carries 72 submunitions: 48 M42 anti-personnel shells and 24 M46 antimatter munitions shaped charges,” explains Stéphane Audrand. These grenades have a range of 29 kilometers, reports the American daily.
2Why did the United States decide to deliver it to Ukraine?
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s own admission, Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to carry out a slowly advancing counter-offensive. Washington believes these weapons represent “the right thing” given recent developments on the ground. “Ukrainian offensive battles using Russian artillery and precision shells (Excalibur, Bonus), GLSDB [un autre projectile de précision] “And other intelligent ammunition is becoming increasingly rare,” Stéphane Audrand continues to explain Twitter.
“If our production of weapons, and in particular precision shells, had been sufficient to supply Ukraine, the Americans would not have had to supply these shells.”
Stéphane Audrand, international risk consultant
on twitter
These cluster munitions are also intended to make up for Ukraine’s deficit in relation to Russian weapons. A 2006 French Senate intelligence report stated that “the neutralization of armored targets appears to be one of the preferred uses of cluster munitions”, as it did during the Cold War. To evade this would be to “fight with one hand behind your back,” explains Xavier Tytelman, defense adviser, in the Le Parisien columns.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House made its decision after a “unanimous recommendation” from his administration. There is a “massive risk to civilians when Russian troops and tanks rush into Ukrainian positions and retake more territory because Ukraine does not have enough artillery” to defend itself, he stressed.
3Why are these weapons criticized?
Since August 1, 2010, these weapons have been banned in the 108 countries, including France, that have signed the Oslo Accords, which bans their transfer and use. However, the signatories include neither the United States, nor Ukraine, nor Russia, which explains American aid and engagement in the conflict. Aware of the risks, Joe Biden said it took a long time “to convince him” to make that delivery.
NGOs fear collateral damage to civilians. The US decision “is a step backwards that undermines the significant progress made by the international community in its attempt to protect civilians from such dangers during and after armed conflicts,” Amnesty International condemned. For this organization, the Biden administration must “understand that any decision to allow increased use of these cluster munitions in this war will have one clear consequence: more civilian deaths.” Up to 40% of submunitions fail to explode when they hit the ground, according to Handicap International, which estimates that “97% of identified victims” are civilians, “including 36% children.”
To appease critics, Joe Biden asserted that the Ukrainians had given “written” guarantees on the use of these weapons to minimize “the risks to civilians.” Because the use of these cluster munitions is accompanied by a number of “misfires”: certain munitions “do not explode or do not defuse after a while, [et] “We are helping to sow the seeds of dangerous explosive devices,” continues Stéphane Audrand Twitter. On Thursday, the Pentagon spokesman clarified that the United States is considering providing ammunition that “would not include older variants that have a misfire rate greater than 2.35%,” reports Le Monde.
4How does Ukraine react?
Announcing the deliveries, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude “to the American people and President Joseph Biden.” This new tool”[rapproche] “Ukraine from victory over the enemy and democracy from victory over dictatorship” and “will provide new tools for occupying our country and moving closer to peace,” he stressed on Twitter.
A timely, comprehensive, and much-needed United States defense assistance package. We are grateful to the American people and to President Joseph Biden @POTUS for decisive steps that will bring Ukraine closer to defeating the enemy and democracy closer to defeating dictatorship. The extension…
— Volodimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2023
Always on TwitterOleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister, tried to allay concerns. He recalled that “under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, Ukraine has an internationally recognized universal right to self-defense” and that Kiev will continue to “strictly observe all international humanitarian conventions signed and ratified by Ukraine.” In order to liberate the country, the Ukrainian army must “inflict casualties on the enemy,” he said.
“It is in our interest to save the lives of our soldiers. Therefore, we will continue to do so with every deadly weapon at our disposal.”
Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine
on twitter
Ukraine also pledges to use these weapons according to five basic principles: use only to liberate occupied territories and “not on the officially recognized territory of Russia”; Deployed outside of urban areas but “in areas where there is a concentration of Russian soldiers” to limit risks to Ukrainian soldiers; keeping a “strict register of the use of these weapons and the areas in which they are used”; establishing a classification of areas according to priority for demining after the country’s liberation; and finally preparing a report on the use of these weapons to Ukraine’s partners.
5What are the reactions of American allies?
The American President confirmed that this decision had previously been discussed with the Allied countries and the American Congress. But on the other side of the Atlantic, the announcement caused some embarrassment. In Berlin, the spokesman for the federal government said on Friday that they were “certain that our American friends did not take the decision to supply the ammunition in question lightly”. Paris recalled that it will respect the commitments made to prevent the proliferation of these weapons while understanding “the arbitration reached by the United States in its desire to assist Ukraine in the exercise of its self-defense against the illegal aggression unleashed by Russia.” to help”. “.
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that while Russia and Ukraine use these weapons, Moscow “uses them in its brutal war against Ukraine, while Ukraine uses them in self-defense.” “We have a feeling that this will not in any way affect the very strong unity between the allies,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Le Monde. But coincidentally or not, the United States simultaneously announced the destruction of its last stockpile of chemical weapons and called on Russia (and Syria) to recognize and destroy its undeclared programs. The United States had until September 30 to do so after signing the 1997 Convention Banning These Weapons.