Russia's Modified Cluster Bombs Could Change the Course of War

As Moscow introduces a new modified glide version of cluster bomb to the hotspots of fighting in southern Ukraine, Kyiv's forces might be up against a more effective Russian air force in the depths of late fall and winter fighting.

On Sunday, a Russian Telegram account thought to be linked to Moscow's military shared what it said was footage of the first use of the modified RBK-500 cluster bomb in Ukraine's southern Donetsk region. The account did not provide any additional details, adding only that the strike took place around the Donetsk village of Staromayorske.

The reports were picked up among Russia's influential military bloggers over the weekend, U.S.-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said. The bloggers said Moscow's troops had carried out a "large airstrike" with RBK-500 cluster bombs that had been adapted to act as glide bombs.

The military bloggers said this strike near Staromayorske was "the first large Russian strike in Ukraine using this weapon with the glide bomb modification," the ISW said.

Both sides have used glide bombs; the Ukrainian military has been using the U.S. military's JDAMs, or Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or the longer-range JDAM-ERs, for most of 2023.

Russia is now using a "number of new types of glide bomb" resembling the JDAMs in Ukraine, military and weapons expert David Hambling told Newsweek. "Like the American equivalent, these appear to rely on satellite guidance and when launched at high altitude and speed can hit targets tens of miles away," he said.

But they are launched beyond the grasp of many of Kyiv's surface-to-air missiles, with Moscow's aircraft attacking Ukraine from "stand-off" range. This could make Russia's air force more lethal, as Kyiv's defenses have so far "prevented Russian aircraft from carrying out effective attacks," he said.

Not only that, as is always the case with cluster munitions, there may be many unexploded bomblets left over in post-war Ukraine, which could pose a real threat to civilians.

Yet it may be possible to jam such weapons, Hambling argued. The Ukrainian General Staff has been approached for comment via email.

Open-source intelligence accounts had reported the use of RBK-500 cluster munitions in Ukraine since the first few days of the war in late February and early March of 2022. But Ukraine's air force has sounded the alarm several times in recent months over Moscow's use of glide bombs, describing the weapons as a significant threat.

In a single day in early November, Ukraine's southern forces reported that 50 glide bombs had been dropped on the southern Kherson region during nine Russian airstrikes.

On Monday, Ukraine's General Staff reported a Russian attack near Staromayorske, but said Moscow's forces had "no success." Also on Monday, Russia's defense ministry said it had blocked a Ukrainian attempt to move units of forces around Staromayorske and neighboring villages, including Rivnopil. Ukraine said it had captured Rivnopil in late June.

On Sunday, Moscow had said it had stopped a Ukrainian counterattack around Staromayorske as Kyiv tried to rotate troops near the village and the settlement of Urozhaine.

The reports came as the frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine remain largely static, with heavy rainfall setting in after disappointing gains for Kyiv in its long-awaited summer counteroffensive. Wet weather conditions are likely to prevent operations on both sides until the winter is fully upon the battlefield, the ISW said on Sunday.

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