WSJ Reporter Shares Clip of Russia Dropping ‘Cluster Munitions’ On Ukraine: ‘A War Crime As Clear As It Gets’

AP Photo/Victor Sajenko

Yaroslav Trofimov, the chief foreign affairs correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, shared a clip on Tuesday of a Russia missile dropping cluster munitions over Odesa, Ukraine. Trofimov captioned the video, arguing that it shows “a war crime as clear as it gets.”

Russian attacks on Odesa also caused significant damage to the “popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, known locally as ‘Harry Potter castle,’” reported The Guardian. The attack killed at least five people and injured 32.

“The building is reportedly the residence of prominent former MP Serhiy Kivalov, who was among those said to have been injured in the strike,” The Guardian added noting that a local official said “eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a four-year-old child. Among the injured were another child and a pregnant woman.”

“Our doctors are trying to do their best,” the official added.

Trofimov wrote of the attacks on Odesa, “Russia using a missile with cluster munitions in the heart of Odesa. Five people were killed, many more maimed. A war crime as clear as it gets.” Human Rights Watch explains that “Cluster munitions are globally banned because they cause both immediate and long-term civilian harm, leaving behind unexploded remnants that act as landmines for years.”

While 112 countries have ratified a global treaty banning cluster munitions, Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. are not among the signatories and both sides have used the controversial bombs during the war. In September 2023, the Biden administration sent Ukraine the munitions with the hope of helping to “bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines,” reported the AP at the time.

The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum also commented on the attacks, adding, “Russians now bombing random seaside parks, for no discernible reason except terrorism.”

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