Russian Cluster Bomb Hospital

He says Russian forces have used cluster munitions against everything from hospitals to churches – not least apartment buildings.

– Look here, this is a fragment that we took out of my car, says Maxim Beznosenko, head of the health department of the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine.

He has an office in the large city of Mykolachev. The car was hit when cluster bombs exploded outside the building, Beznosenko says.

On the sidewalk just outside the building, we see several holes with many smaller holes spread out like a fan. This pattern is typical of the effect of cluster munitions.

Fragments of neighboring buildings were scattered. There is broken glass on the floor after the window has exploded.

– Fortunately, no one was hurt in the office, says the health director.

The governing authorities of Mykolaiv Russia city Cluster munitions are being used against the city on a large scale.

The use of cluster munitions against the big city is also documented by human rights Watch.

Cluster munitions contain many small bomblets, from a few dozen to several hundred. These missiles are launched and explode over a vast area.

Cluster munitions often only harm humans. They are not able to seriously damage buildings, but cause many splinters that cover a large area. Maxim Beznosenko says they were made just to kill.

Russia has been blamed for its use of cluster munitions against a large number of densely populated cities in Ukraine.

It is difficult to determine the extent of the widespread use of munitions as long as the war rages and Russia has occupied a number of areas. But in areas where Russia has withdrawn, especially around the capital, Kyiv, its use is gradually being revealed. intensive investigation Conducted by the Guardian and Bellingcat revealed widespread cluster bombardment in these areas.

also one Report From the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) provides for the widespread use of cluster munitions.

However, it is unclear how many lives were lost as a result of this type of weapon According to the BBC It was cluster munitions that were used in the attack on the train station in Kramatorsk on 8 April. This attack alone killed more than 50 people.

Authorities in Mykolachev say Russian forces have bombed everything from apartment buildings to bus stations, and everything from churches to hospitals. The head of the health department shows a video of the single effect.

– This is outside the emergency hospital, he explained, explaining that a number of rockets filled with cluster munitions narrowed over the hospital area on April 4.

Surveillance video shows a powerful explosion outside the entrance, which, among other things, smashed an ambulance. In this area, several hospitals are together in a group, and two buildings have been hit. One person was killed and nine were injured.

This is what doctor Dmytro Lagushev told TV2. He was at work when this happened.

– The use of this type of weapon is inhumane, he says firmly.

A team of Doctors Without Borders was present at that time attack It happened.

“It is impossible to avoid civilian casualties when such a large area is bombed in the middle of a residential area,” Michel Olivier Lacharette said after the attack. He leads the organization’s work in Ukraine.

Another city in Mykolachev we meet Natalia Martinok. She told me her home was hit by cluster bombs earlier this month.

– It exploded here and there, you can see the cave, she says, pointing to the concrete outside the front door. She and her husband did their best to repair the damage, but the effect is still clearly visible.

Hu said that cluster bombs were scattered over the residential area in the middle of the day. The roof and all the windows were destroyed.

– There was a strong shock wave. My husband and I were behind the front door, and we were thrown into the sea. This is so horrible, we are completely terrified, says Martinock.

She showed us the well-kept bed, as the flowers started to appear in the spring sun. But in the middle of the bed is a large empty patch of floor.

– The cluster bomb fell there too, she explains.

– I was afraid there would be unexploded bombs on the bed.

Unexploded ordnance, called curtains, is a major problem when cluster munitions are used.

We visit a church in Mikulajiv as follows governing authorities Cluster munitions. Four churchgoers were killed in the city. But a fifth died the next day from an unexploded cluster bomb.

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Dr. Dmytro Lagushev asserts that blind people threaten their lives.

– First, they are difficult to detect, says Lagushev.

Cluster bombs can be hidden in the ground so that an unintended person can pull them out. Small bombs that appear on the ground do not necessarily resemble explosives. On the contrary, some genres may look like colored toys.

– If someone takes them, they are life-threatening. Lagushev says:

Now Natalia Martinok has inspected the garden by demining experts and dares again to take care of the plants in the bed. But at the same time, she knows very well that her father is not over yet. For her city, the bombing is still almost daily.

– It’s really scary thinking about it. Russia should be punished for this. We must be able to trust that someone will support us. That’s all I want to say. Thank you very much, Martinock concludes.