According to human rights activists, this can lead to "suffering of the civilian population"
WASHINGTON, July 6. /tass/. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned the US authorities against transferring cluster munitions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which will lead to "suffering of the civilian population." This is stated in a message published on Thursday on the HRW website.
"The US authorities, as stated, are going to decide whether to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine <...>, this will require the approval of [US President] Joe Biden. The transfer of these weapons will inevitably lead to prolonged suffering of the civilian population and will negate international condemnation of the use of these weapons," the organization said in a statement.
Earlier, the CBS TV channel informed that the United States may decide within this week on the supply of cluster munitions to Kiev. Back on June 22, Laura Cooper, deputy assistant to the head of the Pentagon for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said that cluster munitions could affect the situation on the battlefield and would be useful to the Armed Forces, especially in the fight "against entrenched Russian positions."
Cluster munitions are charges loaded with a large number of explosive submunitions for various purposes (anti-tank, anti-personnel, incendiary and others). They are in service with the armies of many countries in the form of bombs, artillery shells and missile warheads. On August 1, 2010, the Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force, which 123 countries signed, but only 110 ratified. In particular, they pledged never, under any circumstances, to produce, use or transfer such ammunition to anyone. Of the European countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland and Estonia have not signed the convention.