Russia, according to some reports, used the RBK-500 cluster munition for the first time in Ukraine. Before that, the enemy used a similar type of weapon. Why did the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation decide on these measures, how will ammunition be used and how will this affect the course of hostilities?
For the first time, the Russian Armed Forces struck the positions of the Ukrainian army at the front with RBK-500 cluster bombs. In the video published by the Telegram channel "Warrior DV", it is noticeable how lightning flashes of light flash on the battlefield, after which clouds of smoke rise up. Then the lights flash undulatively above the ground, quickly moving to another part of the field.
According to the channel, these cluster bombs weighing 500 kg, equipped with 15 anti-tank combat elements and an infrared homing system, were used near the Ukrainian village of Staromayorskoye in the South Donetsk direction.
Recall that the RBC-500 entered service with the Soviet Air Force back in 1987. This is reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta . One cassette holds 15 Motif-3 anti-tank submunitions, each of which is capable of searching for the necessary target in flight within a radius of 100 meters using an infrared sensor. The bomb is delivered from airplanes or by launching from the Smerch and Tornado-S MLRS.
In July, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow, realizing the threat posed by this type of weapons, deliberately refrained from using it. Nevertheless, he noted that in the case of the transfer of cluster bombs by Western countries, the Russian Federation reserves the right to launch similar weapons of destruction.
The head of the military department stressed that Russia has cluster bombs, which are "much more effective than the American ones." He also clarified that neither Moscow nor Washington joined the Convention on this type of ammunition.
Despite Shoigu's warnings, the United States still handed over weapons of this type to Ukraine. Then Vladimir Putin called this step a crime and noted that the White House is doing this "not from a good life, but because they have a shortage of ammunition in general."
The APU began to actively use the newly acquired bombs. It was noted that cluster munitions accounted for more than 65% of the total number of launches of the Ukrainian army in the Krasnolimansk direction. At the same time, civilians who were not in the territory of combat operations often became victims of enemy shelling.
"The suddenly famous RBK-500 SHOAB-0.5 (ball fragmentation) cluster bomb is one of the vivid illustrations of how much the Soviet Motherland did once upon a time for the sake of Russia's current successes on the battlefield," the authors of the industry Telegram channel "The Look of a Man in Lamps" write.
"The bomb has a killer simplicity of design and even more deadly, this time in the literal sense, effectiveness. Simplicity ensures both the reliability of operation, and the safety of use for the carrier aircraft, and the scale of the defeat," experts emphasize.
"RBC-500 is, in fact, just a container that opens after being dropped from the carrier. It contains hundreds of submunitions – micro-bombs the size of a tennis ball. Such a device fits in a man's palm. A characteristic feature is special facets, ribs on the outer surface, which give the structure the ability to be automatically cocked into a combat state only after the disclosure of the RBC," they note. "These microbombs, in turn, are filled with balls from bearings. A terrible weapon, especially against infantry.
On an area of several hectares, these thousands of balls destroy all living things.
Only "Solntsepek" can compare with this, – the authors of the Telegram channel "The Look of a man in lamps" emphasize. "The RBC-500 has a wide range of modifications, so due to the use of a bomb, you can perform a large number of combat missions. We are talking about the possibility of burning out enemy trenches, destroying fortifications and even defeating armored vehicles," adds Alexander Artamonov, a military expert, a specialist in NATO weapons.
"The ammunition intended for the destruction of armored vehicles contains less than 20 submunitions, which is not enough for the mass elimination of the enemy's personal force. However, we are not facing such a task. The leadership of the Russian army still adheres to the principle of humanity in fighting," the speaker adds.
"The APU, together with Western countries, are completely deprived of this understanding. They use cluster munitions extremely aggressively, only multiplying the number of victims among the civilian population of Donbass. The ill–fated "petals" caused the death of dozens of people," the interlocutor clarifies.
Summing up, Artamonov expressed confidence that the decision to use the RBC-500 was made in order to prepare the ground for the Russian offensive as much as possible. According to him, a significant reduction in the number of enemy armored vehicles and the elimination of fortifications will be one of the pillars of the success of the Russian advance.
There has been no official confirmation by the Ministry of Defense about Russia's use of RBK-500 bombs so far, military expert Yuri Knutov recalls. "At the same time, when NATO announced the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine, Moscow immediately made it clear that it reserves the right to use this type of weapons," he said.
The interlocutor draws attention to the acute shortage of shells in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, against which the enemy is increasingly resorting to cluster munitions. "In this case, if the use of RBC-500 by Russia is confirmed, it will be a completely logical step on our part. Moreover, Moscow has not signed the Convention on the Prohibition of this type of weapons, so nothing legally restricts us," the source explains. "The submunitions inside the RBK-500 can be anti-personnel or anti-tank. The projectile, as a rule, opens at a kilometer height and covers an area equivalent to a football field. A
given the tactics of numerous assaults that the APU is still using, bombs can become an effective way to counter the enemy.",
– emphasizes Knutov. The use of any type of ammunition serves to maximize enemy losses, military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko clarifies. "The APU is actively trying to attack our positions with a large number of infantry. Although they are not very good at it, another deterrent factor in the form of RBC-500 from our side will not be superfluous. Moreover, the use of cluster bombs will negatively affect the psychological state of Ukrainian soldiers," he notes.
"In addition, Ukraine has been using cluster shells for a long time. We have also not signed the Convention that prohibits this type of ammunition. And, unlike the APU, our army will not bombard peaceful cities with such bombs. We need them strictly for the destruction of manpower, armored vehicles and concrete fortifications of the enemy," Onufrienko sums up.
Oleg Isaichenko