Russia’s use of cluster munitions in Ukraine has killed and injured 916 civilians over the past year

Over 900 people were killed or injured by cluster munitions in Ukraine last year amid broad Russian use of the widely-banned weapons, propelling global casualty figures to record levels, according to a Handicap International report.

A total of 1,172 people were killed or injured around the world in 2022, the most recorded by Cluster Bomb Monitor since it was first published in 2010. 95% of all recorded dead and wounded in the world were civilians in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Ukraine.

In 2022, Russia's use of cluster munitions left 916 dead and wounded in Ukraine, including 890 victims directly from shelling.

Handicap International calls on the international community to systematically condemn the use of these weapons and bring to justice those responsible for their use.

Up to 40% of such ammunition does not explode upon impact. Severe pollution with the remnants of cluster munitions poses a serious threat to the population of the affected countries, the organization notes.

The Oslo Convention on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions was signed by 124 states and ratified by 112 states, without Ukraine and the United States belonging to them. Since the convention entered into force, 41 countries have destroyed almost 1.5 million stockpiles of cluster munitions, representing 99% of all cluster munitions reported by States parties. Other 26 countries and three regions of the world are still contaminated with remnants of these munitions.

Ukrainian troops started using cluster munitions after the July decision of the US to transfer them. Russia has used banned weaponry in Ukraine since the beginning of its all-out aggression.