Ukraine has received US cluster munitions.

The Ukrainian military says it has received cluster munitions from the U.S., following a controversial decision by the administration of President Joe Biden.

"We've just received them but haven't used them yet. Cluster munitions can completely change the course of the battlefield," said Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria Tactical-Strategic Group. According to a Ukrainian military source, in an interview on July 13, "The enemy also understands that with this amount of ammunition, we will have an advantage. They will abandon the areas where we can use cluster munitions."

According to Tarnavskyi, senior leaders will decide "the areas where cluster munitions can be used," while emphasizing that "this is a very powerful weapon."

The Ukrainian general also noted restrictions on the use of cluster munitions, saying that the weapon is banned in densely populated areas, even those under Russian control.

The U.S. previously stated that it had received written assurances from Ukraine that cluster munitions would not be used in civilian areas and that it would monitor their use to ensure the effectiveness of future demining operations.

"The Russians thought we would use it on the entire front. This was a big mistake, but they were very worried," Tarnavskyi said.

Valeryi Shershen, a spokesperson for the Tavria group, later confirmed this information. "Cluster munitions have reached our defense forces," Shershen said on Ukrainian television.

155 mm DPICM ammunition at a US base in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, in 2016. Photo: Reuters — 155 mm DPICM ammunition at a US base in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, in 2016. Photo: *Reuters*

U.S. President Joe Biden sparked controversy last week when he announced the decision to provide Ukraine with DPICM (Differential Modified Conventional Ammunition), also known as cluster munitions. Biden said it was a difficult but necessary decision as ammunition stockpiles in Ukraine and its allies were rapidly depleting. Several of America's NATO allies, such as the UK and Spain, have stated that they do not recommend the use of this type of weapon.

According to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, supplying cluster munitions is only "temporary." "Once weapons production reaches a level that can meet Ukraine's needs, we will no longer need to continue supplying cluster munitions," he said on July 11, without specifying a timeframe.

Cluster munitions don't inflict damage with conventional explosives or penetrating warheads; instead, they contain a large number of submunitions that are dispersed as they approach the target. This mechanism allows a single main projectile to scatter hundreds to thousands of submunitions over a wide area, resulting in significantly higher destructive power than conventional artillery shells or fragmentation rockets.

Some submunitions may malfunction with their fuses, causing them to fail to detonate and scatter without any markings. These submunitions retain their detonation mechanism and can explode upon contact, even years after the fighting has ended.

Given the dangerous nature of this type of weapon, more than 100 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which prohibits their production, stockpiling, use, and transfer. The United States, Russia, and Ukraine have all refused to join the convention.