Ukrainian Artillery Fire Faulty Shells: 20% Just Fizzle Out

MELITOPOL, Zaporozhye region (Sputnik) — Ukrainian forces are launching intense artillery fire on Russian positions in Zaporozhye near the village of Rabotino on a daily basis, but about 20% of Ukrainian shells fail to detonate, according to a fighter from the 71st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, call sign "Monk."

"Every morning, our wake-up call isn't an alarm clock, but rather artillery fire. Starting at 4 a.m., tanks are heavily engaged, as well as AGS [automatic grenade launchers], and artillery — everything that can be used - rains down on us. And quite often, about 20% of the shells do not explode. There are also cases with cluster munitions, where the shell explodes but does not deliver its submunition payload. It just explodes in the air [without the submunition detonation]," said "Monk."

In his opinion, this could be due to the age of the shells or to violations in the conditions of their storage.

Ukraine has received cluster munitions from the United States, despite them being banned by an international convention that 123 countries have ratified, except the United States and Ukraine.

When cluster bombs explode, they release smaller munitions, so-called submunitions, some of which are technically inoperable. This poses a threat to civilians: unexploded shells become landmines that can kill or maim people long after hostilities have ceased.