Ian Lovett and Nikita Nikolaienko
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine—Newly delivered, American-made cluster munitions have given fresh impetus to Ukraine’s campaign to retake territory captured by Russia, after weeks of little progress.
Ukrainian soldiers say they have used the cluster bombs—which release dozens of smaller bomblets and can cause devastation over a broader area than ordinary artillery shells—to hit concentrations of Russian infantry, groups of vehicles and other targets, clearing the way for ground advances.
Kyiv’s counteroffensive operations have struggled in the face of wide minefields and Moscow’s superior air power, which have impeded large-scale efforts to use Western-supplied tanks and armored vehicles to reach and punch through lines of entrenched Russian forces.
While the cluster bombs alone won’t tilt the battlefield balance of power decisively in Ukraine’s favor, soldiers say they have helped them retake Russian positions that they had struggled to reach.
The munitions have been coupled with a change in tactics, which has allowed Ukrainian troops to advance to within striking distance of the main Russian defensive lines in some places. That progress has come with substantial casualties.
WSJ explains the technology behind cluster munitions and why they have raised humanitarian concerns. Illustration: Jacob Alexander Nelson
“The cluster bombs are good. They are effective,” said Capt. Anatoliy Kharchenko, commander of a reconnaissance company. “But the Russians are dug in deep, and they learn quickly.”
Kharchenko said Russian trenches can be 7 feet deep and that the Russians are adapting by spreading their troops more thinly to avoid heavy losses.
Recent fighting around the village of Robotyne, southeast of Zaporizhzhia city, has demonstrated the effectiveness of the new weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal.
In late July, a platoon was pinned down east of the village, taking heavy Russian fire. The unit radioed its commander, asking to withdraw. He told the platoon to take cover instead. Cluster bombs flew overhead. One soldier said he heard what sounded like rain, followed by chaos on Russian radio channels.
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