“Russia is pulling out of the stash everything that is left deadly in its arsenal.” Military expert on the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine
In Kharkiv, Russian delayed-action explosive devices continue to be found on the streets. This was again told by the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleg Signegubov. Ammunition with a plastic case is immediately consumed, weighing about 1.5 kg does not work. Their presence in the courtyards of residential buildings and on the streets is already in urban areas. The British non-profit organization Airwars, which is involved in tracking alleged casualties among the population as a result of the use of explosives, in its report concluded that the widespread damage in Kharkiv may indicate that the Russian Federation is using cassette magazines there.
In the application of cassette punishments in Ukraine in the indictments in Russia investigators, Ukrainian poweras well as UN. An international convention prohibits the use of such vehicles, but its not signed neither Russia nor Ukraine.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov, on the air of Real Time, told what kind of weapon it is and why Russia uses it.
– These are cassette incomes that are changed by the Russian Federation during this war. They belong to inhumane weapons, they are prohibited for use. In the sub-elements located in the cassette magazine, the time of undermining is set. It may differ from the usual. Why did the “penny” calmly drive off after two explosions? The reason that the basic need does not have a fragmentation effect. The main task of the charge is to scatter these sub-elements, which will explode after a certain period of time that is set in them. It can reach 48 hours.
– That is, they do not respond to movement, to touch – it’s just a programmed timer?
— Yes, it’s just a programmed timer with a delay. Those that react to movement and explode after you touch them are already mines. They are either anti-personnel or anti-tank. And they also play with the help of cassette magazines. They have a slightly different shape. They are hardly noticeable, especially anti-personnel ones – as a rule, the Petal mine is used there. She is camouflaged green or other colors to camouflage underground, and she is small, lying in the grass, she is almost invisible. When touched by her foot, a person is seriously injured.
— Locals in Kharkiv, what some of the persecutors they tell find can explode several times. What can be discussed here?
– Such consumption has not yet been invented so that it explodes several times. It could just be that two subelements fell side by side. And, accordingly, one detonated, and a little later – the second. The only way. No one in the world has invented a double charge yet.
– Three days ago, reports began to appear that this type of weapon in Kharkov military used. What can it say? Why did they decide use such a weapon?
– This is from the latest developments. As I understand it, Russia is extracting from the stashers everything that is left deadly in its arsenal. By the way, cassette incomes have been working in Kharkov almost since the first week of the war. In one cassette of the “Smerch” projectile, 36 high-explosive fragmentation sub-elements were found. These are the observers: cassettes were ordered for both video and photo.
These are now more recent developments. They take everything they have. And it is no longer considered with any norms of international law in terms of such punishments. The main goal is the destruction of us and our state.
– If it is chosen in terms of political strategy, can there be military benefit here, other than just people?
– From the point of view of the review of the war, they were testing the method of achieving their main goal – for Ukraine to surrender. [Они стремятся] destroy us and swallow us up as a state. Everyone read the program article published by RIA Novosti, which clearly describes the fate of every Ukrainian: what will happen to us when Russia comes?
Here, you see, the principle already operates: everything is for victory, up to betrayal. The main thing is to win at any cost.
– What do you think, will they undertake the state seizure of the next parish of Kharkov?
“I think that would be the most stupid thing they have achieved if they did it. If they were unable to take the city unprepared for defense in the first week of the war, today it is a fortress city. And to storm it with the forces that they have is just a crime, this is madness. So I think it’s unlikely.
If they succeed in the Dnieper in the Donbas, then perhaps they can turn either to the Kiev side of the river, or to their chosen side, in order to besiege Kharkov from two sides – from the west and from the east. But for this they need to go through the Donbass, which for them today is practically an unrealizable task.
– Why?
Because how long have we been waiting? We have been waiting for three weeks. Where is the strike force, where is this armored fist that they are assembling, which is the second offensive strike against the eastern adaptation? They pulled all the forces that they had left, with the exception of the southern direction, which they did not touch, but it adjoins the Donbass, they gathered the rest here. They brought an army from the Far East. And they cannot enter Ukraine as a single strike group. They stretch their beginning, build up gradually, stretching it out in time. What gives us the ability to carry fire damage as they enter the combat units and subdivisions of the Russian army.
“But at the same time we see new satellite footage. Constant offset in Belgorod region, then this column is already moving further in the Kharkov region towards Raisin. This is not the formation of this “fist”?
– No, these are the methods and options that I just described to you. They include participation in hostilities, instead of spreading some groupings of troops, and it is introduced into battle on two directions: the main and auxiliary. But this is unacceptable. They are increasing the workload of the technical troops, which are conducting active combat operations today and are resuming at the same Izyum review.
– In your opinion, how much more resources will Russia have? How many more months can Russia lead an infantry advance?
— I think that the infantry advance [будет продолжаться] maximum month The fact is that forces are constantly dwindling, and today we have not observed a serious replenishment of Russian troops. The last army that did not belong, the “Ussuri” army, has already hung up and arrived here. According to statistics, the echelons have already arrived. All they got, these 16 battalions of tactical groups, is 10-12 thousand people. To date, their grouping is even smaller than the one that went to the first echelon. And the fact is that in order to achieve success, the second echelon must be more powerful than the first.
– Is there really less air strikes now? And if so, why?
– Violation, we knocked out predominantly active aircraft. Yes, they have more than 500 aircraft, but 330 of them are those that can perform combat missions. We have already shot down 150.
Second. All these aces, pilots, who need combat experience, although I think that experience is very limited, because in dentistry, they may have bombed in conditions of full air defense. They flew there like at a training ground: they were not afraid of anyone, they chose objects and could calmly maneuver there. These aces are all already shot down. Now, as one movie character said, “the yellowmouths are flying” – that is, less trained pilots.
But I would not relax in air aviation, because today there is intelligence that focuses on a large number of aircraft in the Voronezh, Belgorod regions at airfields, at the Lipetsk-2 airfield – as I understand it, they reanimated it for combat. Therefore, with the build-up of offensive achievements in the Donbass, I think they will strive to increase the load and emissions. Therefore, we still have to fight with this aircraft. It is unlikely that it will be effective, the battle will show. But today I will say that its combat potential is much lower than that of the first army, which we have already practically put on the ground.