Russia used cluster munitions hundreds of times during the war in Ukraine. From February to July, they affected at least 689 civilians. This is stated in the annual Cluster Munition Monitor report, prepared by the Cluster Munition Coalition, an international initiative to combat this type of weapon.

The report notes that Russia has repeatedly used cluster munitions in at least 10 of Ukraine's 24 regions.

Ukrainian forces may also have used cluster munitions at least three times in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions, the report says.

Cluster munitions can be fired from artillery, rockets and mortars or dropped from aircraft. They usually open in the air, scattering multiple bombs over a wide area. Many of them do not explode immediately, but can maim and kill residents for many years until they are rendered harmless and destroyed.

Russia does not deny the use of cluster munitions.

Reports that Russia is using cluster munitions against Ukraine have been appearing since the beginning of the war. So, in early April, Nikolaev was subjected to shelling by Russian cluster shells. Investigators from the Conflict Intelligence Team told The Insider that this confirms the nature of the damage.

In June, The New York Times reported that Russia had used at least 210 munitions against Ukraine that were prohibited by international treaties. The publication analyzed more than a thousand images taken during the war in Ukraine, as well as visual evidence provided by the Ukrainian government and military departments. On them, journalists identified a total of more than 2 thousand ammunition, most of which were unguided.