What is a cluster bomb? — Ukraine reportedly used the banned weapon on Russian troops

Multiple reports of Russia using cluster bomb on various occasions have surfaced since it invaded Ukraine in February.

However, if a latest report by the New York Times is to be believed, Ukraine has also used the banned weapon in its Husarivka village to drive away the Russian troops.

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The bomb's use is banned by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions due to the unacceptable harm they cause and their indiscriminate nature.

The treaty, to which most NATO countries — excluding the US — are party, bans use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. Both Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the treaty.

So, what is a cluster bomb and why is it banned by over 100 countries?

Cluster munition, as the name suggests, is a larger weapon that instead of carrying one big piece of high explosive, contains tens or even hundreds of smaller submunitions.

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The carrier weapon opens in the air and scatters those submunitions across a wide area. The problem with cluster munitions arises with the unreliability of the submunitions.

A certain percentage of the submunitions, sometimes 25% or more, fail to detonate upon impact as designed. They remain on the ground in an armed and unstable state.

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The unexploded submunitions, often brightly colored, having ribbons attached, shaped like small balls or cylinders, becoming de facto landmines can attract curious people resulting in fatal consequences.

Human Rights Watch regularly monitors the usage of cluster munitions across the globe.

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