The UN called on the United States to reconsider the decision to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine

Washington should reconsider its decision to transfer cluster munitions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, UN Special Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards said on September 20, reported on the website of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The department emphasized that the special rapporteur sent a corresponding appeal to the US authorities back in July, asking Washington for its own assessment of whether the transfer of such shells is compatible with its human rights obligations. The response from the American side has not yet been received, so the UN, taking into account reports of plans to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range missiles with cluster munitions, decided to publish this appeal.

“Cluster munitions can be extremely dangerous to civilians <...> They are banned in more than 100 countries. I urge the United States to reconsider its decision to transfer these weapons. Military necessity should not take precedence over human rights,” Edwards said in her statement.

The UN expert emphasizes that cluster munitions often do not detonate upon impact with a surface, resulting in unexploded submunitions remaining a source of threat “for decades.”

“They unnecessarily delay a full transition to peace and serve as a painful reminder of war,” Edwards added. At the same time, the special rapporteur condemned the special operation of the Russian Federation, speaking out in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The White House announced the transfer of cluster munitions to Kyiv on July 7. On August 29, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the number of casualties among residents in the region increased manifold after the Ukrainian Armed Forces began using cluster munitions. Their use is also reported in border regions. On August 26, the Investigative Committee reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired cluster munitions at the village of Urazovo, Belgorod Region, and six people were injured.

The UN has already criticized the supply of such weapons to Kyiv. According to the organization’s Deputy Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, the Secretary General has repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of the use of cluster munitions, since such weapons should become history.

On September 12, Reuters wrote that the administration of US President Joe Biden is close to approving the sending of long-range missiles filled with cluster munitions to Ukraine. It was clarified that we are talking about ATACMS tactical missile systems with a range of up to 306 km and controlled GMLRS MLRS with a range of up to 72 km. On September 20, it became known that all relevant US departments approved the sending of ATACMS to Ukraine.