Why are cluster munitions so dangerous?
Despite efforts to ban them, the weapons are being used in Ukraine
ON JUNE 30TH the mayor of Slovyansk, a city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province, said that four people in a residential area had been killed by Russian cluster munitions. Both sides in the war have reportedly used the weapons, though Russia has been accused more often. Despite efforts to ban the bombs, other armies also employ them. What are cluster munitions, and why are they so dangerous?
This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “Why are cluster munitions so dangerous?”
More from New Articles
Who are the Druze, the victims of a deadly strike on Israel?
The religious minority has often been caught up in regional crossfire in the Middle East
Myanmar’s rapidly changing civil war, in maps and charts
Ethnic militias and pro-democracy groups are scoring victories against the governing junta
Who will be Kamala Harris’s running-mate?
She is reportedly vetting a dozen options. These are the top three
Why have so few American presidents been from the West?
Kamala Harris’s nomination would be a milestone for the region
Why the Olympics still has a doping problem
Cheating with drugs has again become an organised affair
Why some Russian athletes will be eligible to compete at the Paris Olympics
Despite antipathy between the Russian government and the International Olympic Committee a handful will compete