There's two ways to look at this:
-
If Ukraine wasn't selecting flight paths that pass over civilians, this wouldn't have happened
-
If Russia wasn't intercepting these missiles, this wouldn't have happened
Both of those statements are insane, so let's talk about the real problem of cluster munitions. Clusrer munitions are an absolutely disgusting weapon, and their usage basically salts the ground indefinitely because it's guaranteed that not all clusters will detonate. Cluster munitions, when intercepted, cause mass civilian casualty events because they are inherently anti-personnel weapons. Cluster munitions should not be used in populated areas. Russia drew condemnation for this in 2022 Ukraine and earlier in Georgia. Ukraine should draw condemnation for this in 2024.
The UN Convention on Cluster Munitions happened in 2010. The primary users of cluster munitions are the US (and it's allies) and Russia (who does not export them afaik). As signatories to the CCM, EU states should condemn the usage of cluster munitions by it's allies. For obvious reasons, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia absolutely despise cluster munitions (even today, people die because of the ones dropped during the Vietnam War).
The foundations of international law should not be flouted because of geopolitical tensions. If the US and Russia want to sow the seeds of suffering and misery, let them, but letting cluster munitions proliferate is bad for humanity.