A Russian missile with cluster bombs recently hit a residential area in Sumy, northern Ukraine, killing 11 people, including two children, and injuring 84 others. Cluster bombs release many smaller explosives over a target. Some models have up to 600 mini-explosives.
These bombs are dropped by planes, artillery, or missiles and usually explode on impact. However, many fail to detonate immediately, remaining dangerous like landmines for years.
First used in World War II, these bombs were designed to destroy groups of soldiers or tanks over large areas.
Today, the use of cluster bombs is banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which over 120 countries have signed.
However, major nations like the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, India, and China have not joined the ban.
