Cluster bombs don’t always explode on impact, and they are banned in 100 countries. 

The United States have confirmed it’s sending cluster bombs to Ukraine to aid the war against Russia. 

American national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the cluster bombs were necessary for Ukraine to maintain momentum in the fight. 

“Ukraine has been requesting cluster munitions in order to defend its own sovereign territory,” he said. 

“We are ramming up domestic productions of these rounds, but this process will continue to take time and it will be critical to provide Ukraine with a bridge of supply while our domestic production is ramped up. 

"Ukraine has provided written assurances that it is going to use these in a very careful way.” 

The decision to send cluster bombs has been criticised by several peace activists.  

DH2DTD Cluster bombs, or cluster munitions, are a weapons containing multiple explosive submunitions. Mleeta, Lebanon

Amnesty International said the cluster bombs, that don’t immediately explode, “undermines international efforts to safeguard civilians from indiscriminate weapons”. 

“Cluster bombs have caused untold harm to civilians across the world – in some cases decades after conflicts have ended,” Military researcher Patrick Wilcken said. 

“The USA’s plan to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine is a retrograde step, which undermines the considerable advances made by the international community in its attempts to protect civilians.” 

Former NATO representative Kay Bailey Hutchinson said any bombs that have not detonated after the war will be removed. 

“We will need to go in after the war, where they have been used,” she said. “There will be every effort to protect civilians in the future form accidentally detonating one of these duds.” 

Today marks 500 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Snake Island, where a Ukrainian fighter told an approaching Russian war ship, "go f*** yourself".