- The White House’s chief national security adviser announced last Friday that the United States would send cluster bombs to Ukraine.
- Since last year, the Ukrainian government has repeatedly asked the Americans to send such munitions, but the White House has refused to do so.
- A weapon that civil organizations have long been fighting to ban.
- The embedded parts of cluster bombs have been a serious threat to the public for years as they can explode at any time.
A truly devastating weapon
A cluster bomb does not actually consist of one, but many – or thousands – of bombs linked together. The carrier device (cassette) falls on the target and scatters small projectiles that destroy a much larger area than a conventional charge. Bombs can be dropped on a target from aircraft, but they can also be launched from land and sea.