EXPLAINER: What danger do cluster bombs pose?

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Reports have emerged that Russia is using cluster bombs in its incursion in Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies. If confirmed, deployment of the weapon, especially in crowded civilian areas, would usher in new humanitarian concerns in the conflict, Europe’s largest ground war in generations. Critics say cluster bombs kill indiscriminately and pose hazards to civilians. Despite a global convention to limit their use, cluster munitions are still used in conflict zones around the world. Their unexploded ordnance remain a deadly, often intractable threat for years to come.