25 February 2022
ICBL-CMC Condemns Russia Cluster Bomb Use and Civilian Harm in Ukraine Conflict
Updated 26 February
(Geneva, 25 February) – The International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) strongly condemns the confirmed use of cluster munitions yesterday by Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict, and the death and injury of civilians, as reported by the New York Times and Human Rights Watch. ICBL-CMC is alarmed by the threat of further harm to civilians including humanitarian mine action partners, following yesterday’s largescale escalation by Russia.
We call for an immediate halt to use of the internationally banned weapon, and urge all parties to guarantee protection of civilians, respect for international humanitarian law, and the international norm banning use of cluster munitions and landmines.
Cluster munitions were previously used in the conflict in Ukraine between July 2014 and February 2015, though the extent of existing contamination is unknown. Cluster munitions are indiscriminate weapons that overwhelmingly kill and injure civilians, and leave a deadly legacy of contamination threatening lives and hindering recovery for years to come.
Russia remains outside of the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Ukraine has not joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, though it is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty.
ICBL-CMC works for a world free of landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war, where all lives are protected. A world where contaminated land is cleared and returned to local populations for productive use and where the needs of affected communities and survivors are met and their human rights guaranteed.
