Russia's Stockpile of 'Crime Bullets'... Does Our Military Have Them Too?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] There are claims that the Russian military used “cluster munitions” and “vacuum bombs” that can cause civilian casualties during their invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has raised critical voices, stating it will investigate Russia’s war crimes.

▲ Russia’s Vacuum Bombs and Cluster Munitions = The “vacuum bomb,” also known as a “thermobaric bomb,” is a weapon that increases flame and explosive pressure, unlike conventional shells that cause damage primarily through blast force. It is nicknamed a vacuum bomb because it sucks in oxygen when it explodes, causing a powerful, ultra-high-temperature blast. Sometimes, vacuum bombs create a mushroom cloud similar to that of a nuclear bomb, earning them the nickname “nuclear bombs without radiation.”

This bomb was primarily designed to kill enemies hiding in bunkers or caves. However, it is considered an inhumane weapon because it causes indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the high-pressure waves generated during the explosion damage internal organs.

For this reason, under the Geneva Conventions, which require protection of those not directly participating in combat, vacuum bombs are effectively banned. Russia has used these bombs in invasions such as Afghanistan and the Chechen wars.

The Russian military uses the “TOS-1 Buratino” rocket launcher, nicknamed the “Devil of Grozny,” to fire vacuum bombs. “Buratino” is the name of a wooden puppet character from a short story inspired by the fairy tale “Pinocchio,” written by the great Russian author Lev Tolstoy. The Russian military earned this notorious nickname by indiscriminately firing thermobaric rockets at Chechen rebels hiding in buildings in the Grozny area, destroying buildings and virtually erasing them from the map. The TOS-1M can fire 30 thermobaric rockets with a diameter of 220 mm and can devastate areas up to 35 km away.

There have also been consistent claims since the early days of the Ukraine invasion that the Russian military is using cluster munitions, which are banned in most countries. Cluster munitions are weapons that contain multiple smaller bombs inside a single bomb, designed to kill many people in open terrain. About 40% of the smaller bombs inside remain unexploded, acting like landmines after the war and causing significant harm to civilians.

In 2010, the United Nations officially adopted the “Convention on Cluster Munitions,” which currently has 106 participating countries, but Russia and Ukraine are not on the list.

▲ Does Our Military Have Cluster Munitions? = Our military decided to deploy the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) “Cheonmu” to Yeonpyeong Island five years ago following the Yeonpyeong artillery provocation. Cheonmu is a new type of MLRS with a maximum range of 80 km, more than twice the range of the main MLRS, Guryong, and has greater destructive power.

Cheonmu uses both guided and unguided rockets. Hanwha Co., Ltd. produced the guided rockets independently, but the unguided rockets, which correspond to cluster munitions, were produced under a Manufacturing License Agreement (MLA) with the United States from 2002 to 2011. Hanwha needed to improve the unguided rockets to extend Cheonmu’s range and had to utilize the technology used in producing MLRS unguided rockets. However, the U.S. side refused approval, so domestic independent development was decided. Currently, “Korea Defense Industry” (KDI), a spin-off from Hanwha, is developing cluster munitions.

Although South Korea is the world’s second-largest producer of cluster munitions, it has not joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions due to the unique situation of being the only divided country in the world with North Korea. However, controversy surrounding cluster munitions continues. The controversy dates back to after World War II. Cluster munitions used in various conflict zones such as Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Georgia indiscriminately killed soldiers and civilians alike. According to research by the international NGO Handicap International, 98% of cluster munition victims are civilians, and about one-third of them are children. Particularly, during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 2006, 4 million submunitions were dropped within 72 hours of the start of the war, killing or injuring 273 civilians and 57 clearance workers, sparking an international ban movement.

Currently, at least 14 countries, including the United States, Russia, and Israel, use cluster munitions; at least 28 countries produce them, and at least 76 countries possess them. The draft Convention on Cluster Munitions, adopted in May 2008, has been ratified by 30 countries including France, Germany, and Japan, and the number of signatories has increased from 94 to 104.

A government official said, “Regardless of whether we join the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the international community deeply worries about the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. If a unilateral cluster munition policy ignoring this is pursued, it will draw international criticism and negatively affect the country’s image.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.