Russian forces attack Zaporizhzhia region with cluster munitions, killing one person

This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov.

"Russians fired twice at Rizdvianka village of Zaporizhzhia region with cluster munitions. The second shelling claimed the life of a civilian," he wrote.

It is worth noting that cluster munitions are prohibited by international humanitarian law, as they are classified as weapons that cause excessive damage or have indiscriminate effects.

Thus, cluster munitions pose a threat to the civilian population because they hit a wide area, indiscriminately targeting civilians. In addition, not all mini-munitions explode immediately upon impact: around 25 per cent of submunitions can remain on the ground and pose a danger to civilians for months, years or even decades after a conflict. Some mini-munitions attract children because they are brightly coloured or shaped like earrings or cylinders. Due to their small size, they may not be noticed by farmers working in a field.

However, Russia has not joined the 2008 convention banning the circulation of cluster munitions.

• Since the beginning of the full-scale war and as of August 2023, more than 200 Ukrainian civilians have been killed by Russian cluster munitions.