Why are cluster munitions so dangerous?

ON JUNE 30TH the mayor of Slovyansk, a city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province, said that four people in a residential area had been killed by Russian cluster munitions. Both sides in the war have reportedly used the weapons, though Russia has been accused more often. Despite efforts to ban the bombs, other armies also employ them. What are cluster munitions, and why are they so dangerous?

A single warhead is lethal close to the point of detonation, but less effective further away. This is ideal for destroying a point target such as a bunker, vehicle or building, but is less use against a column of vehicles or spread-out infantry. Cluster munitions, on the other hand, scatter grenade-sized “bomblets” over a large area, cancelling out aiming errors. That makes them more likely to hit civilians. Human-rights organisations say that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas is a violation of international humanitarian law because they cause indiscriminate destruction.