Kiev Cluster Bombs Lugansk

On June 2, Itar Tass headlined “Administration building in Luhansk caught by fire after air strike, five dead, ten injured,” saying:

“The fourth floor of the Luhansk regional administration building was caught by fire after an air strike carried out by a Ukrainian fighter jet.”

“A huge number of ambulances and fire crews have arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire and evacuate the injured.”

“According to reports, five people were killed and at least 10 were injured in the attack.”

“The administration building is surrounded by people in military uniforms who are asking the crowd to disperse.”

“The fighter jet used cluster bombs to deliver a pinpoint strike.”

“The regional administration building is partly destroyed. There are dead and injured. Doctors and rescuers working at the scene are clarifying the number of casualties.”

Death toll numbers may rise. Victims are civilians. They include three women and two men. One was Lugansk’s health minister Natalia Arkhipova.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was speaking with another woman on the administration building’s steps.

Live video showed large blood stains, broken glass and stones. Many windows were shattered. Shell fragments covered the area. So did dark smoke plumes.

Unexploded shells were found outside the building. Self-defense forces warned residents to leave the area.

One witness said “fire has engulfed the third and fourth floors of the building, and the windows have been blown out.”

“There are shards of glass everywhere. I saw paramedics carrying people out of the entrance”

Fierce fighting continues. Heavy machine-gun fire targeted Lagansk’s city center.

Another air strike struck a militia checkpoint. Unknown numbers of casualties were reported.

More on Kiev’s war without mercy below.

Cluster bombs are illegal. The December 2008 signed/August 2010 entered into force Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) prohibits their use, transfer and stockpiling.

They’re terror weapons. They scatter submunition bomblets over a wide area.

As of September 2013, 108 nations became CCM signatories. Eighty-four ratified it.

Those doing so pledge “never under any circumstances to:

• “Use cluster munitions;

• Develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, cluster munitions; (and)

• Assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention.”

CCM provisions permit certain types of submunitions use. Provided they don’t indiscriminately scatter unexploded ordnance the way cluster bombs do.

They remain dangerous longterm. They’re brightly colored. Children mistake them for toys or Easter eggs.

They pick them up for play. They’re killed or injured doing so.

Israel’s 2006 Lebanon war provided momentum for banning their use. UN officials estimated up to 40% of its cluster bomblets failed to explode on impact.

Norway organized the independent Oslo process. It did so after Geneva disarmament discussions failed.

An Oslo Declaration followed. Forty-six nations committed to:

“Conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that prohibits the use and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians and secure adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and clearance of contaminated areas.”

America, Israel, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Brazil among other nations oppose cluster bomb banning.

Pentagon commanders ludicrously call them humane weapons.

“Because future adversaries will likely use civilian shields for military targets – for example by locating a military target on the roof of an occupied building – use of unitary weapons could result in more civilian casualties and damage than cluster munitions,” they say.

“Blanket elimination of cluster munitions is therefore unacceptable due not only to negative military consequences but also due to potential negative consequences for civilians,” they claim.

An International Committee of the Red Cross representative called these weapons “a relic of the Cold War.”

“They are a legacy that has to be eliminated because they increasingly won’t work.”

Nobel peace prize winner Jody Williams called CCM “the most important disarmament and humanitarian convention in over a decade.”

Washington, Israel and other rogue states use them frequently. With impunity.

Claiming less harm to civilians. Lying saying so. It bears repeating. Cluster bombs are terror weapons.

On Monday, Moscow condemned Kiev. Its Foreign Ministry said:

“On June 2, the Kiev authorities committed another crime against their own people.”

“As a result of a bombardment by the Ukrainian Armed Forces aviation of the building of the Lugansk Region State Administration, Ukrainian civilians were killed.”

“What happened shows the Kiev authorities’ blatant unwillingness to follow the path of seeking nationwide accord in the country.”

“Once again, Kiev has grossly violated the deals agreed in the Geneva statement of April 17 and developed in the roadmap of the OSCE Swiss presidency.”

Ukrinform.ua Ukrainian propaganda headlined “No air strike on Luhansk administration building, militants themselves to blame for blast.”

It blamed victims for Kiev crimes. It did so numerous times before.

It said “Kremlin propaganda has distributed another fake report to discredit the Ukrainian troops in the area of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO): a warplane allegedly fired Luhansk Regional State Administration building.”

“ATO spokesman Vladyslav Selezniov told Ukrinform there has been no air strike on the administration building.”

“Our aircraft have not flown over Luhansk Regional State Administration.”

“(W)hat has happened to the administration is due to the militants themselves.”

“The incident is likely either the careless handling of weapons or the militants who were trying to somehow work on our aircraft and hit the administration building.”

From “images posted on the Internet, it is clear that it was not an air strike. If it was the aircraft, there would be little left.”

“(T)his is why the military do(es) not resort to the use of aircraft for strikes against militants in the city.”

Fact: Eastern Ukrainian attacks feature helicopter gunships, warplanes, heavy artillery, howitzers, tanks, APCs and mortars.

Fact: Civilians are vulnerable.

Fact: They’re considered fair game.

Fact: Ukrainian forces target anything that moves.

Fact: Noncombatant men, women and children are attacked like freedom fighters.

Fact: Claiming otherwise is false.

Fact: Big Lies infest official Ukrainian claims.

Fact: They have no credibility whatever.

Fact: Alternative media alone report what viewers and readers most need to know.

Fact: Hard truths are featured.

Fact: Kiev’s war without mercy is revealed.

Fact: It continues ruthlessly without end.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected]. His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”. www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his blog site at www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.