Cluster Bombs Target Civilians Once Again: Recalling the Unforgettable Day in 2022 in Mykolaiv and Kharkiv

The war is not over. The black smoke that blanketed the sky over Kharkiv in February 2022 and the horrors of the cluster munitions that pounded residential areas in Mykolaiv remain deep scars on Ukrainian soil, even now in 2026. With Russian forces intensifying their offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine recently, the term 'cluster munitions' has once again become a hot-button issue on the international stage. But what we must remember aren't just the names of weaponry, but the tragic stories of the civilians these weapons have left in their wake.

A Taboo Ignored: The Horrors Defying the 'Convention on Cluster Munitions'

Cluster munitions are weapons that disperse hundreds of smaller submunitions (bomblets) over a wide area to strike multiple targets simultaneously. Their destructive power is so immense that the Convention on Cluster Munitions has been signed by over 100 countries, comprehensively banning their use, production, and transfer. However, the war in Ukraine has starkly revealed how powerless this taboo can be in reality. Particularly in early 2022, accounts from the ground indicate that Russian forces indiscriminately rained cluster munitions down on key Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.

The Cries of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv in February 2022

The cluster munition attacks on Kharkiv in February 2022, immediately after the invasion began, were sheer hell on earth. Striking residential areas, schools, and hospitals without distinction, the cluster bombs instantly transformed safe civilian spaces into scenes of massacre. Just a few months later, the same tragedy unfolded in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv. Accounts and footage emerging from the cluster munition attacks on Mykolaiv at the time vividly conveyed the massive casualties near parks and playgrounds. This inevitably invited criticism as not merely a military conflict, but a clear war crime targeting civilians.

A Curse Left in the Ground: The Time Bomb of 'Unexploded Ordnance' (UXO)

However, an even greater problem persists to this day. The most significant threat from cluster munitions lies in the unexploded ordnance (UXO) they leave behind. A significant number of the hundreds of bomblets fail to detonate upon impact and remain buried in fields and villages, never cleared away. It's as if millions of landmines have been scattered across the entire country. According to reports, even four years after the start of the war, there are continuous reports of civilians in the outskirts of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv losing their lives after accidentally triggering unexploded cluster bomblets while farming or collecting scrap metal. The horrific accidents involving children mistaking them for toys serve as a grim reminder for everyone living there that the war's terror is far from over.

What cluster munitions have left behind are ruined cities, people who will never return, and unexploded bombs that will threaten the land for decades to come. The brutality of war is not just a story playing out on a screen far away. Right now, at this very moment, someone's life is being threatened by shrapnel from a cluster bomb dropped back in 2022.

• The Brutality of Cluster Munitions: Indiscriminate area-wide casualties, undermining the principle of civilian protection.
• A Threat to Future Generations: Long-term safety risks from UXO, contamination of agricultural land.
• Absence of International Response: Reigniting debate over the effectiveness of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Can we truly say the war is over? At the very least, the day when Ukraine's skies and lands are completely safe has not yet arrived. The cluster munitions from that time still remain on this land, continuing their silent killing.