US provided cluster munitions to Ukraine, President Trump 'transfers technology' to South Korea
It was revealed that the US had agreed to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, and that the “technology” of cluster munitions was transferred to South Korea in 2021 under President Trump’s regime and introduced to 155mm.
As the Biden administration of the Democratic Party announced the provision of cluster bombs to solve the shortage of shells in the Ur-Raina war, the unexploded rate is high, and the subsequent damage to civilians caused by the remaining cluster bombs is becoming an issue.
Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch opposed the US decision to provide cluster munitions and accused Russian and Ukrainian forces of using the weapons to kill civilians, Reuters reported on the 7th.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opposes the continued use of cluster munitions, a UN spokesman announced on the 6th.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock said on the same day that Germany also opposes sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
111 countries, including Germany, except for a few such as the United States, South Korea, Russia, and Ukraine, signed the 2008 Agreement on Cluster Munitions Interest Rates, and since adoption of the agreement, 99% of the world's stockpile has been destroyed, and the Cluster Munition Coalition told the NYT revealed
Republican members of the House Foreign Relations Committee applauded Biden's move and demanded that the Biden administration send additional Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), Reuters reported.
US federal law banned the export of US cluster munitions with a bomb failure rate of more than 1% in 2009, but Republican President Trump, who is due to leave office in 2021, has allowed the export of cluster munition technology to South Korea, and Ukraine has lobbied Republican lawmakers, Reuters said. .
Reuters said that the provision of cluster munitions "includes virtually all US military stockpiles" and that "Ukraine has previously urged US lawmakers to put pressure on the Biden administration to authorize the sending of cluster munitions."
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky and also in contact with the Korean press, told Reuters on the 7th, "Undoubtedly, the transfer of additional shells to Ukraine contributes very significantly to the acceleration of the deocracy process." In particular, we are talking about cluster munitions that can have a special mental, emotional impact on the already demoralized Russian occupation group.”
White House National Security Adviser Sullivan said on the 7th, "We have to build a bridge until the United States has enough monthly production of a single bullet where we are today." said to
Reuters reported that President Biden said, “Because ammunition is running out,” when asked by reporters, “Why are you providing cluster bombs now?”
Regarding cluster munitions, the New York Times said, “Bombs are generally designed to explode or ignite when they hit the ground, but historically, cluster munitions have the highest failure rate of all types of weapons, with lasting and often devastating consequences for civilians.” According to the report, cluster munitions can have more than one-fifth of a bomb remaining and still have the potential to detonate when disturbed or disposed of years later.”
“There is no responsible way to use cluster munitions,” said Brian Castner, arms expert with Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team. Casualties have emerged, and civilians, including children, in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Balkans, and Laos continue to suffer from incidents involving cluster bomb wreckage,” he told the NYT.
The NYT said the US would send 155mm explosive grenade-loaded shells, designated Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Ammunition (D.P.I.C.M.s), to Ukraine, which are designed to attack both armored vehicles and dismounted troops by discharging an open grenade in the air.
Two major 155mm D.P.I.C.M. The shells are the M88 with 483 grenades and the long-range M72 with 864 grenades, both shells of the same type of D.P.I.C.M. Grenades do not detonate immediately due to environmental factors such as landing on vegetation or soft ground, leaving residual grenades to remain unsafe for decades due to their lack of self-destruct ability, which can explode if mishandled due to the built-in sensitive fuse. revealed
Reuters said the supply of cluster munitions from Dual-Purpose Conventional Improved Munitions (DPICM) "could mitigate the depletion of 'single 155mm' shells that the US is shipping in bulk to Ukraine." Howitzers, additional Patriot air defense ammunition, anti-tank weapons, new Penguin drones, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery and Rocket System (HIMARS), Bradley Combat Vehicles, Stryker armored vehicles, and more.”
In another article, Reuters said, "Ukraine has recaptured some villages in southern Ukraine since the counteroffensive began in early June, but it lacks the firepower and air cover to make more rapid progress," it said, demanding cluster bombs from the United States.
Gabriella Rosa Hernandez, a researcher at the Arms Control Association, said, “In the months leading up to the Ukrainian counterattack, the Russian military prepared miles of trenches, tank traps and mines to counter the oncoming attack, and Ukraine and the Biden administration said that in the counterattack, cluster munitions were used against the Russians. “Conversely, these imprecise strategic characteristics could put offensive Ukrainian forces at risk of encountering unexploded cluster munitions in their initial deployment.” There is,” he told the NYT.