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Why war crimes investigators are looking for cluster bombs in Ukraine. Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos: In Ukraine, human rights investigators like Amnesty International and Bellingcat have been tracking Russian attacks to aid in a potential war crimes investigation. One thing they’re paying special attention to is cluster bombs. Cluster bombs were first used in World War II; they scatter numerous smaller bombs over a wide area — often killing civilians. It’s this indiscriminate nature that often makes their use a war crime. Our modern conception of war crimes was created by a series of treaties spanning decades. In 1977, one of those treaties banned what’s known as “indiscriminate attacks.” That means militaries are legally prohibited from attacking an area imprecisely, in a way that can harm civilians. Russia is not alone in using these weapons: In conflicts since the 1977 treaty, many militaries continue using them in civilian areas, with impunity, including the US. This video explains how they’re being used by Russia, and why places like the US and Russia just won’t give them up. For Amnesty International’s original thread about their February 28th Kharkiv investigation: For more coverage of the February 28 attack we cover in the video: For more reporting on the US military’s legacy of air strikes, which has included cluster bombing: Bellingcat has been tracking the use of cluster bomb strikes in Ukraine here: The New Yorker article that covers the last known direct US cluster bomb strike, in Yemen in 2009: More of our sources: Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out Support Vox's reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: Shop the Vox merch store: Watch our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Facebook: Follow Vox on Twitter: Follow Vox on TikTok: @voxdotcom
