Recently, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that for the first time, Russia attacked Ukrainian distribution substations with missiles with cluster munitions. What types of missiles the enemy equips with such a warhead, what is the danger of submunitions, in which missiles they were used for the first time, and in which missiles the enemy combined cluster munitions with high-explosive munitions - experts from Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine told UNN.
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Experts noted that the vast majority of missile types used by Russia against Ukraine during massive attacks still contained high explosive and fragmentation warheads. This type of warhead was typical for Iskanders, Kalibr, Daggers, and X-101 missiles.
"In January-March 2024, information first appeared, which was later used in practice, about the modernized X-101 with two warheads, one of which is a cluster warhead and the other is a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The installation of an additional warhead was made possible by reducing the size of the fuel tank. Also, the use of Kalibr missiles with cluster warheads was identified, which was not previously recorded," said the experts of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.
Experts noted that these missile warheads have different principles of operation.
"A cluster munition consists of a main container (cassette) with several dozen submunitions inside. After the cluster is released, these submunitions scatter over a large area and detonate on the ground or in the air. Each submunition can hit separate targets, which ensures a high degree of damage over a wide area. That is, the main purpose of a cluster warhead is to hit a large number of dispersed targets. In contrast, a high-explosive warhead is a single-component munition that has a shell filled with an explosive. This type of warhead creates fragments from the shell and a blast wave when it explodes. The principle of operation is as follows: when a high-explosive munition explodes, a blast wave is formed, which has a strong impact, as well as a large number of fragments that fly in all directions, hitting everything in the area of action," the experts explained.
According to experts, both types of warheads pose a great danger. In addition, submunitions from cluster munitions may not explode on impact, turning into explosive objects that remain so for a long time. Therefore, the experts remind that citizens should be especially careful at the scene of the events and, first of all, let all relevant services and authorities check the area properly.
"Lately, we have indeed been noticing a greater number of uses of weapons with cluster munitions. Whether this could be a sign of the depletion of other types of weapons or a desire to use the weapons that remained in stock is currently unknown. At the same time, these facts, as well as all of Russia's actions in the context of a full-scale military invasion, are a complete disregard for international treaties and agreements that should have political and legal consequences," the experts of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise summarized.