Cluster munitions in service with Ukraine
Shooting MLRS M142 HIMARS. Ammunition may include cluster munitions. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Ukrainian armed formations use cluster-type artillery ammunition. Rockets and shells with submunitions for various purposes are used to shell cities, mine areas, etc. Previously, it was mainly the old stocks left over from the USSR that were spent, and in recent months there has been an active use of foreign products. Moreover, the Kiev regime requires new supplies of this kind from foreign partners.
Combat application
According to known data, Ukrainian artillery began to use cluster munitions against the republics of Donbass back in 2014-15. In the future, the intensity of such shelling changed, but they were not abandoned. Shells and rockets continued to fall on cities, causing damage and killing civilians. This situation remained unchanged until the beginning of last year.
In February 2022, the intensity of shelling increased sharply, which became one of the reasons for the start of the Russian Special Operation. With the start of full-scale hostilities, Ukrainian artillery continued to use cluster munitions. At the same time, civilian targets continued to be the targets for such attacks, as they were easier to reconnoiter and destroy.
Significant is the fact that such weapon was used not only for terror against the republics of Donbass. In April 2022, the Ukrainian OTRK "Tochka-U" launched a rocket on the area near the railway station in Kramatorsk, where the civilian population was located. As reported, a missile with a cluster warhead was used, which increased the number of injured and dead.
Scheme of the M864 DPICM projectile. Such products were allegedly supplied by Turkey. Globalsecurity.org graphics
Last summer, the systematic shelling of Donetsk and other cities with remotely mined rockets was widely publicized. Their cassettes contained anti-personnel mines that violated international agreements.
Until a certain time, Ukrainian artillery used only Soviet-style cluster munitions. However, in the summer-autumn, foreign-made missiles and shells appeared in service. In some cases, the supply of such weapons, at least, raises questions. Other episodes give rise to accusations of violations of conventions.
The active use of cluster munitions and the lack of domestic production leads to predictable consequences. The available stocks of such products are depleted, and the Kiev regime requires foreign ones to be sent to it. The last request of this kind was made a few days ago at a security conference in Munich. It is likely that it will be satisfied - although it is not guaranteed that Ukraine will receive exactly the weapons it wants. However, the leadership of Germany has already announced its unwillingness to respond to such requests in connection with participation in the current Convention.
Legal Issues
On December 3, 2008, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, drawn up under the auspices of the UN, was opened for signature. The parties to the agreement pledged not to develop, produce, acquire or use cluster munitions. However, there were some exceptions. On 1 August 2010 the Convention entered into force. To date, more than a hundred states have signed it.
Self-aiming combat element BONUS of French-Swedish production, January 2023. Photo by Telegram / ChDambiev
A number of states did not sign the Convention, because. it did not match their views on cluster munitions. Among them was Ukraine, which, during the collapse of the USSR, got large stocks of various artillery rounds, incl. with cassettes. Such a position on this issue and subsequent events suggest certain thoughts and suspicions.
Formally, Ukraine retained the right to own and use cluster munitions. However, since 2014 they have been applied to populated areas, which, combined with indiscriminate action, is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. In fact, we are talking about systematic war crimes against civilians.
However, the "world community" led by the United States as a whole does not pay attention to this. Shelling that violates conventions is hushed up or blamed on “pro-Russian separatists” or the Russian army. Evidence of the involvement of our forces is not given, and the opposite arguments are simply ignored. However, this approach does not only take place in the context of cluster munitions.
A few months ago, the international organization Human Rights Watch drew attention to the violation of the Ukrainian side of the conventions. However, the report did not receive due attention, and the organization was accused of working for Russia. This result looks very curious against the background of previous HRW reports that corresponded to the foreign agenda - Russia was always to blame for them.
Cassette warhead missile 9M57K3 for MLRS "Uragan". Containers with PFM-1 mines are placed inside. Photo Russianarms.ru
For stem systems
According to known data, Ukrainian formations are armed with several types of cluster munitions for cannon artillery. Some of them went to Ukraine during the collapse of the USSR, while others were supplied in recent months from abroad. In addition, the presence of other foreign shells is assumed, but reliable information on this has not yet been received.
From the Soviet army, the Kyiv regime was left with cluster shells in a caliber of 152 mm. The first of them is the product 3-O-13 for shots 3VO13 and 3VO14. A projectile weighing 41,4 kg holds 8 fragmentation submunitions weighing 4,1 kg each. Also in this caliber there are shots 3VO28/29/30 with a 3-O-23 projectile. The latter carries fragmentation-cumulative elements. All of these types of rounds are compatible with a wide range of Soviet-style 152mm guns.
For 2S7 guns, a 203-mm 3-O-14 cluster projectile is used, which is used as part of 3BO15/16 rounds. It has a mass of 110 kg and carries 24 fragmentation elements with a charge of 230 g each.
Last year, the delivery of French-Swedish BONUS shells was reported. In early January, there was evidence of the use of such ammunition at the front. The product in 155 mm caliber contains two self-aiming anti-tank combat elements.
Mina PFM-1 in the settlement Yasinovataya, July 2022. Photo by Telegram / "Rudenko"
At the end of December, the foreign press reported on the arrival in Ukraine of a large number of Turkish-made DPICM cluster shells. At the same time, they hinted at Turkey's violation of existing international agreements. However, reliable information about such deliveries has not yet appeared. It is quite possible that the reports about DPICM initially did not correspond to reality and solved some political problems.
Rocket weapon
The situation with cluster-type missile weapons looks similar. There was a large stock of Soviet-style missiles in different calibers and with different equipment. Also, since last year, deliveries of NATO equipment and related ammunition have been carried out.
Kyiv had a limited number of Tochka-U OCRs and a supply of missiles for them. In the 9M79K modification, the missile of this complex is equipped with a 9N123K cluster warhead. The latter holds 50 fragmentation submunitions with an explosive charge weighing 1,5 kg. A mechanism is provided for opening the cassette at a height of more than 2,2 km.
Soviet stockpiles included a large number of 122 mm rockets for the Grad MLRS and 220 mm items for the Uragan system. These stocks include products of various modifications, incl. equipped with cluster warheads. They carry fragmentation, incendiary and other combat elements. There are also cassettes with mines, anti-personnel and anti-tank.
Mina AT2 of German production. Photo Telegram / War Gonzo
So, last year, Ukrainian formations actively used 9M27K3 shells for the Uragan MLRS. Each such munition carries 312 PFM-1 anti-personnel mines and scatters them over a significant area of the terrain. Such shells were repeatedly used in the cities of Donbass and seriously worsened the situation of the civilian population.
There are also foreign cluster-type missiles. In September, it became known that Germany, along with its MARS 2 MLRS (a variant of the American M270), transferred rockets not only with high-explosive, but also with cluster warheads. In the latter case, a cassette with AT2 / DM1399 anti-tank mines is used. It is curious that such missiles are not formally considered cluster missiles due to the design features and the specifics of the Convention.
Forced demilitarization
Thus, the Ukrainian formations still have a certain stock of artillery rounds of various types, incl. with cluster weapons. Ammunition of all available types is used along the entire front line. At the same time, Ukrainian artillery pays special attention to the cities and towns of Donbass. They are fired on as large and simple targets, where any projectile will cause noticeable damage. A well-known place in such attacks is occupied by cluster shells.
It is obvious that the Kiev regime is not going to stop this practice, and its artillery continues to pose a threat to the Donbass and the surrounding regions of Russia. The presence of cluster rockets or shells further increases the risks. The best and most reliable way to deal with such threats, as practice has shown, is the destruction of artillery systems and ammunition depots. Accordingly, the demilitarization of Ukraine will continue until the required results are obtained.
Information