DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Russia's air force appears to be turning more to an 1,100-pound cluster bomb in one of the deadliest fights in Ukraine, intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's air force seems to be increasingly using 1,100-pound cluster bombs. Moscow "has likely started to more frequently employ" the RBK-500, a 1,100-pound bomb, over the past month, Britain's defense ministry wrote in a Wednesday intelligence update. Reports indicate the RBK-500 has been used against Kyiv's forces near the eastern Ukrainian front-line cities of Vuhledar and Avdiivka, Britain's defense ministry said. Sophisticated air defense on both sides has kept the sky above the battlefield contested, with neither Ukraine nor Russia's air force able to achieve air superiority. Aerial footage released November 2 by Ukraine shows a Russian armored vehicle exploding near Avdiivka, Donetsk, Region, Ukraine.

Persons: Avdiivka, —, Russia's, Biden Organizations: Service, Staff of, Armed Forces, Ukraine's, Staff, Mechanized Brigade, Reuters Connect, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems Locations: Avdiivka, Moscow, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Vuhledar, Russia, Russian, Donetsk, Region

☆ US-made ATACMS cluster missiles could give Ukraine's HIMARS the power to punish Russia's artillery and 'cut off' its army, former US artillery officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

One variant that could help Kyiv is the M39 cluster missile, which has nearly 1,000 submunitions. Rice has lobbied for Washington to send cluster munitions since July 2022, and his efforts have also focused on cluster rockets and missiles. Fewer of these were produced compared to the older M39 cluster variant, military research indicates. That's what ATACMS cluster missiles will help do, he said. With longer-range M39 ATACMS missiles packed with far more explosive submunitions, this becomes even more of a deadly challenge for Moscow's army.

Persons: —, Biden, ATACMS, Dan Rice, Rice, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Getty Images Rice, Zelenskyy, Maj, Charlie Dietz, Ukraine's, Serhii Mykhalchuk, there's, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, MGM, Tactical Missile, Artillery, White, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Army Tactical Missile, Korean Defense Ministry, Getty Images, Department of Defense, State Department, Kyiv, Black, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Crimean, Washington, France, Desert Storm, Iraqi, South Korea, U.S, Crimea, Donetsk Oblast, Azov, Russia, Kerch, Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 21, 2023. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, did not say when the missiles would be delivered or when a public announcement would be made. Defense officials have said the U.S. does not have a large stockpile of excess ATACMS, which have a bigger payload than traditional artillery, to provide to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration has shifted its stance on which weapons it is ready to provide to Ukraine's military. At the same, Ukraine has intensified a campaign of missile and drone strikes targeting sites deep behind Russian lines.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, — Henry Austin Organizations: U.S, White, NBC, Army Tactical Missile, Defense, Rights, Sea Fleet Locations: Washington, United States, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Eastern Europe, America, Crimean

☆ Russia's invasion has turned Ukraine into the country with the highest cluster munition casualties in the world, even more than Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine topped the list of countries in terms of cluster munition victims, a new report said. The Cluster Munition Coalition said cluster bombs killed or injured 900 people in Ukraine in 2022. The Cluster Munition Coalition, a global civil society campaign advocating for the ban of cluster munitions, said Russia's war in Ukraine had pushed the use of the ammunition to global record levels since it began reporting in 2010. The CMC reported an "alarming" rise in civilian deaths related to cluster munition attacks, which accounted for 95% of casualties. The UN said cluster munition poses a potential humanitarian risk because many submunitions are unreliable and fail to explode — leaving active ordinance long after conflicts end.

Persons: Tamar Gabelnick, —, George Barros Organizations: CMC, Service, UN, Institute for Locations: Ukraine, Syria, Wall, Silicon, Iraq, Yemen, Russia, Washington

☆ HIMARS changed the game in Ukraine, but a former US artillery officer says what they need now is a firepower boost with M26 cluster rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

HIMARS rockets proved to be a game-changing weapon for Ukraine when they arrived last year. Now they need is a firepower boost from M26 cluster rockets, a former US artillery officer says. For this reason, HIMARS rockets aren't used against individual Russian artillery pieces and are instead fired sporadically at higher-value targets, Rice said. A top Pentagon official said last month that Russia's cluster munitions, by comparison, have a dud rate of up to 40%. AdvertisementAdvertisementLike he first did with the 155 millimeter cluster munitions, Rice is currently lobbying for Washington to provide the M26 rockets to Ukraine.

Persons: it's, Dan Rice, M777s, Ukraine's HIMARS, Pierre Crom, Rice, Serhii Mykhalchuk Organizations: Service, Artillery, Pentagon, Russia, HIMARS, Kyiv, Getty, Army Tactical Missile Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Washington, Russia, Kyiv, Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast

☆ Ukraine's most controversial weapons aren't a 'silver bullet,' but they are giving Kyiv's forces what they desperately needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian forces have been using controversial US-provided cluster munitions for several weeks. The remains of artillery shells and missiles including cluster munitions are stored on December 18, 2022 in Toretsk, Ukraine. Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesFootage of Ukraine using cluster munitions on the battlefield has emerged in recent weeks. Russia insists it does not use cluster munitions, despite documented use of cluster munitions by the Russian military in Ukraine in the past. But while cluster munitions are operationally effective, they alone won't prove decisive in Ukraine's counteroffensive or the war.

Persons: It's, Biden, Pierre Crom, George Barros, Barros, GENYA SAVILOV, there's, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Vladimir Putin, DPICMs Organizations: Service, Russia, White House, Pentagon, Institute for, Getty Images, Kyiv, Getty Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Toretsk, Donetsk, Russia, Washington, Avdiivka, AFP, Russians, Donetsk Oblast, Moscow, Russian

☆ Cluster bombs could turn the war in Ukraine's favor — but Russia says it's ready to use them too
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"But of course, if they [cluster munitions] are used against us, we reserve the right to tit-for-tat actions," the president said. Though not banned by the United States, Russia or Ukraine, cluster bombs are outlawed in over 100 countries under a global pact, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, because of the danger they pose to civilians. The United Nations called on the warring parties to immediately cease all use of cluster munitions. Up to 40% of cluster munitions fail to explode on impact, the U.N. said, which allows for "decades of intermittent detonations." They add that cluster munitions could be a critical factor in determining the outcome of the conflict.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, they're, Jack Watling, Justin Bronk, Anatolii Stepanov, Bronk Organizations: Getty Images, U.S, Tass, Ukrainian, Cluster Munitions, Washington Post, The Washington Post, Getty, United Nations, Defense, NATO, Royal United Services Institute, Armed Forces, Afp, Kyiv Locations: Russia, Moscow, Kremlin, Ukraine, U.S, Kyiv, Europe, United States, Russian, Lysychansk

☆ A fired general's pleas from the front lines reveal Ukraine is bloodying Russian forces in a critical fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He said Russia is struggling to knock out Ukrainian artillery while Russian forces suffer "mass deaths." The counter-battery fight is critical in the counteroffensive, and it looks like Ukraine has an edge. After he was fired, he revealed publicly that Ukraine is bloodying his forces in an important fight, the artillery battle. In this fight, Ukraine relies heavily on rocket artillery systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, or howitzers like the 155mm M777s. Russian artillery can have the same effect on Ukraine though if left unanswered, which is a reason why the counter-battery fight matters.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, vilely, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Jack Watling, Gen, Valery Zaluzhny, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Jake Sullivan, Patrick Hinton, Hinton Organizations: Service, Artillery, Arms Army, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Royal United Services Institute, Washington Post, Publishing, Hudson Institute, NATO, Systems, National, AP, Forbes, British Army's Royal Artillery, Staff's, Military Sciences Research, RUSI Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Region, U.S, Kherson region, Hinton

☆ Shell-hungry artillery battles with Russia are fast eating through Ukraine's ammo, and that's why cluster bombs are key, experts and officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US decided last week to send deadly but controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine's military. Experts and officials say these explosives will help ease Ukraine's ammunition shortages. The provision of cluster munitions is also aimed at preserving US stockpiles. Washington's difficult decision to outfit Kyiv with cluster munitions appears to have come at a calculated and pivotal moment. "The hard but necessary choice to give them the cluster munitions amounted to this," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told MSNBC at the NATO summit in Lithuania this week.

Persons: Biden, —, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Colin Kahl, Dmytro Smolienko, " Kahl, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Jack Watling, Justin Bronk, Drew Angerer, Bronk, Watling, Antony Blinken Organizations: US, Service, Ukrainian, Pentagon, The Washington, Getty, Moscow, White, National, Kyiv, Publishing, CNN, NATO, Royal United Services Institute, MSNBC Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Kyiv, Washington, Zaporizhzhia Region, Russian, Washington , DC, U.S, Lithuania

☆ The US isn't too concerned about creating a lasting nightmare for Ukrainian civilians with mines and bomblets because Russia already did it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US officials have broadly dismissed concerns around the indiscriminate risk of cluster bombs to civilians. Ukraine will use US-provided cluster munitions in specific situations, US officials said. The remains of artillery shells and missiles including cluster munitions are stored on December 18, 2022 in Toretsk, Ukraine. It could be near the soaring failure rate for Russia's cluster munitions, alleged to be as high as 40%. These include Russian antipersonnel mines, but also a variety of cluster munitions.

Persons: —, they're, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Pierre Crom, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, they'll, YASUYOSHI CHIBA, Colin Kahl, I'm, Kahl Organizations: Service, US, NATO, MSNBC, Rights Watch, National, Ukraine, Getty, Cluster Munitions, Human Rights Watch, World Bank Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Lithuania, Toretsk, Izium, Zarichne, AFP, Lebanon, Crimea, Russian

☆ The US says the cluster bombs it's giving Ukraine fail less than 3% of the time. Experience suggests the real number is far higher.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The United States is providing Ukraine with cluster bombs it says have a failure rate of 2.35%. Cluster bombs that fail to explode can pose a risk to civilians for decades to come. He compared it to the alleged failure rate for Russian cluster munitions of 30-40%. 'Failure rates of 10% to 30%'Russia has been criticized not just for using cluster bombs but for deploying them in densely populated civilian areas. The US military has said it will select from its stockpile only cluster munitions that have been assessed to have a failure rate of 2.35%.

Persons: Colin Kahl, I'm, Kahl, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, New York Times, Congressional Research Service, CNN Locations: States, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Laos, Russian, United States

☆ What are the cluster munitions the US is expected to supply Ukraine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials have told CNN. Cluster munitions, also called cluster bombs, are canisters that carry tens to hundreds of smaller bomblets, also known as submunitions. The US has a stockpile of cluster munitions known as DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, that it no longer uses after phasing them out in 2016. Yes, both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Moscow’s forces invaded in February 2022. “Any use of cluster munitions, anywhere, by anyone, must be condemned,” Carbonnier said.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Andre Luis Alves, maim, ” Gilles Carbonnier, ” Carbonnier Organizations: CNN, Anadolu Agency, International Committee, Coalition, Rights Watch, Cluster Munitions, Human Rights Watch, US Central Command Locations: United States, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Washington, Kyiv, Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Switzerland, Iraq

☆ The US is finally giving Ukraine's military cluster munitions, deadly and controversial explosives that could be 'devastating' for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The US announced a new weapons package that includes cluster munitions for Ukraine on Friday. Cluster munitions are deadly and controversial, but they could boost Ukraine's counteroffensive. The White House and Pentagon announced a new $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine on Friday that, for the first time, includes cluster munitions. Cluster munitions can be dropped from the air or fired as artillery and deal damage over a larger area. Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesDue to their range and movement, cluster munitions can be unpredictable and hit outside their intended target.

Persons: —, Kurt Volker, Federico Borsari, it's, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Ben Hodges, Borsari, hasn't, Pierre Crom, Biden, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, willy nilly, Colin Kahl, I'm, Kahl Organizations: US, — Kyiv, Service, Pentagon, Ukraine, NATO, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Center for, The Washington, Getty, Army, Kyiv, Munitions, Amnesty, Rights Watch, National Locations: Ukraine, Hai, Lebanon, Russia, Toretsk, Izium

☆ Biden administration could soon approve sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“These would undoubtedly have a significant battlefield impact,” a US official told CNN. Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the last two weeks have prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN. Administration officials also believe they have managed to alleviate some allies’ concerns about the US transferring the munitions, officials said. DPICMs stands for dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, the official name for the type of cluster munitions that the US has in its stockpile. He previously told CNN that with the cluster munitions, “Ukraine will finish this war much faster, to the benefit of everybody.”“Russia is extensively using the old styles, the most barbaric styles, of cluster munitions against Ukraine,” Goncharenko told CNN in December.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Clodagh Kilcoyne, –, ” Laura Cooper, DPICMs, Cooper, ”, Joe Biden, Oleksiy Goncharenko, ” Goncharenko, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, White, Administration, Human Rights Watch, Pentagon, Foreign, Central Command, US State Department, State Department Locations: Ukraine, France, Germany, Ukrainian, Russia, Russian, Syria, Eurasia

The error – which lawmakers and congressional staffers were briefed on Thursday – triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees. “The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least. Now, due to this revelation, there is about $5.3 billion still available, far more than even the largest single package provided to Ukraine. But now that there is more funding available, congressional sources said they are less concerned about the immediate need for a new funding package for Ukraine. The accounting error occurred because when the US transferred weaponry to Ukraine, they counted the value of replacing the weapon instead of the value of actual weapon, defense officials explained.

Search resuls for: "DPICMs"

15 mentions found