Reflecting a shockingly barbaric and old-fashioned wartime strategy, Russian forces have struck Ukrainian cities and towns with a barrage of rockets and other ammunition, most of which can be considered relatively oblivious. widely in line with international treaties, according to a New York Times analysis. 

The attacks have made repeated and widespread use of weapons that kill, mutilate and destroy indiscriminately – a potential violation of international humanitarian law.  These strikes have left civilians – including children – dead and injured, and have left vital infrastructure, such as schools and homes, in ruins. 

The Times examined more than 1,000 photographs taken by their own photojournalists and photographers working on the ground in Ukraine, as well as visuals presented by Ukrainian government and military services.  Times reporters have identified and categorized more than 450 cases in which weapons or groups of weapons were found in Ukraine.  In all, there were more than 2,000 recognizable munitions, the vast majority of which were unguided. 

The size of the evidence gathered and recorded by the Times shows that the use of these types of weapons by Russia was not limited or abnormal.  In fact, it has been the backbone of the country’s war strategy since the beginning of the invasion. 

Of the weapons identified by the Times, more than 210 were types that have been widely banned under international treaties.  All but a handful were cluster munitions, including their ammunition, which could pose a serious threat to civilians for decades after the end of the war.  More than 330 other weapons appeared to have been used on or near civilian structures. 

Due to the difficulties in obtaining complete information in time of war, these accounts are understated.  Some of the weapons found may have been fired by Ukrainian forces in an attempt to defend themselves against the invasion, but evidence shows much greater use by Russian forces. 

Customary international humanitarian laws and treaties – including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their protocols – require that the driving force behind the war be military necessity, which empowers all combatants to direct their actions toward legitimate military objectives.  The law requires a balance between a military mission and humanity.  Fighters must not carry out disproportionate attacks, where the expected harm to civilians is clearly excessive, in accordance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to the immediate and specific military advantage that would be expected.  Fighters must take into account the distinction, that attacks are directed only against legitimate targets and people and are not carried out indiscriminately.  And they should not use weapons that have been calculated to cause unnecessary pain. 

“The Russians have violated each of these principles almost daily,” said Mike Newton, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who often advocates for war crimes prosecutions around the world. 

“The law of war is much more demanding than the rule of mere expediency and convenience,” said Professor Newton.  “Just because I have a gun does not mean I can use it.” 

What follows is an analysis of the visuals examined by the Times in their research. 


Unguided Ammunition 

The vast majority of weapons identified by the Times were unguided ammunition, which lack accuracy and can therefore be used in larger numbers to destroy a single target.  Both of these factors increase the likelihood of shells and rockets falling on populated areas. 

Russia has relied heavily on Ukraine for large-scale attacks with unarmed weapons, such as shells and artillery shells.  By comparison, Western military forces have almost completely converted their arsenals to use guided missiles, missiles and bombs, and have even developed kits that can turn regular artillery shells into precision-guided weapons.  Russia may be constrained by export sanctions and controls that affect its ability to re-supply modern weapons, and much of its precision-guided arsenal may now be exhausted.

D-30 Howitzer

Soviet plan used by World War II.

Illustration of a D-30 Howitzer

BM-21 multi-barrel missile system

A Soviet launcher system used since the 1960s, in which 40 launchers are mounted on a truck chassis.

Illustration of a multi-barrel rocket system Source: US Department of Defense

These Cold War-era unguided Russian weapons have the ability to shoot far beyond the reach of the human eye – many miles beyond where a soldier could see the final target.  To legally use these weapons over long distances, Russia would have to use drones or soldiers known as “front observers” to monitor where the weapons were hitting and then make radio corrections.  There was little evidence that they did until recently. 

“I think what we are seeing here with the Russians is a bit like what you would see in World War II, where they are just bombing people,” a senior US defense official said in an interview. 

“The most astonishing thing, I suppose, is their philosophy of trying to break the will or the spirit of the Ukrainian people by simply leveling large sections or entire cities,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the Russian assessments. .  behavior in Ukraine.  He added: “This is what war once looked like and they just brought it back to the center of the stage.  “And people, I think, are terrified.” 

Artillery missiles, such as the 122mm Grad, were deployed long before precision-guided weapons were invented.  Designed for something called “saturation fire” – in which a handful of mobile rocket launchers, each capable of firing up to 40 rockets in about 20 seconds, can deliver as much power as dozens of larger trailer shells.  They can effectively flood an area with warheads exploding in succession. 

When fired at a dam, the missiles compensate for their comparative inaccuracy with enormous volume – covering their targets with explosions. 

The heads in these weapons can be destructive.  When they explode, they produce an explosion wave that can increase in intensity as it bounces off buildings, breaking concrete into neighboring structures and destroying the internal organs of anyone nearby.  The shell of the ammunition breaks into fragments as sharp as a razor that can penetrate bodies.  Both the blast wave and the debris can be deadly in various areas.  Here are three common types of weapons used by Russia in Ukraine, the fragments of which can be dangerous to unprotected people at long distances.

Dangerous fragmentation distances

People at these distances are at risk of death or serious injury.

9N210 submachine guns 316 feet 9N210 submachine guns 316 feet Sources: Collective Awareness for Non-Explosive Machines (quantities of explosive ammunition). US military publications (danger ranges)

Wide use 

Ammunition and ammunition have been found across Ukraine and about a fifth of those found were located outside Russian military presence areas, according to a Times analysis.  Although some of the ammunition was almost certainly used in air raids, many were probably fired at maximum range, which means that estimates of the presence of troops during the war may have underestimated the extent of the threat to civilians and civilian structures.

Rockets, missiles and other weapons identified in the photos Approximate extent of the presence of Russian troops Sources: Critical Threat Project of the Institute for War Studies with the American Enterprise Institute (presence of Russian troops) | Notes: Only ammunition with known city or town locations is included. The extent of the presence of Russian troops shows combined estimates from March to June.

In the first weeks of the invasion, Russia shifted many of its attacks to densely populated areas with civilian infrastructure, hitting churches, kindergartens, hospitals, and sports facilities, often with precision-guided long-range ammunition that could be fired from close range. .  far beyond the boundaries of the occupied territories. 

The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague has opened a formal investigation into allegations of atrocities in Ukraine.  Under international humanitarian law, fighters and commanders are supposed to take all possible precautionary measures to minimize damage to civilians and “political objects” such as apartments, houses and other non-military buildings and structures. 

Targeting political structures or indiscriminately bombing densely populated areas, depending on the circumstances of an attack, could violate the laws of war or even be a war crime.  And the burden of proof to prove that an area was a justified military target and that the attack was proportionate, experts say, generally falls on the attacker. 

A photograph of a warlord capturing the center of a playground, although it may be disturbing, does not necessarily prove that a war crime has been committed.  Details of each case, including the intent behind an attack and the environment …