Dozens of civilians in the Kyiv region were killed by thin metal darts from shells called "flechettes." The pathologists find the darts in the heads and chests of the dead. The Guardian reported this.
"We found several thin, nail-like objects in the bodies of men and women. My other colleagues in the region reported the same," - Ukrainian forensic doctor Vladyslav Pirovskyi told the journal. - They are very difficult to find in the body because they are too thin. Most of the bodies with such injuries were brought from Bucha and Irpin."
Flechettes are thin metal darts developed at the beginning of the twentieth century and used during the First World War. A flechette shell
is an anti-personnel weapon contained in a tank or field gun. Each projectile can include up to eight thousand flechettes. As a rule, their size varies from three to four centimeters.
Locals say russian artillery units used flechette shells at the end of March, a couple of days before the liberation of the Kyiv region by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Fenix Insight weapons expert Neil Gibson told The Guardian that the projectile is rarely used. Its use against civilians is a violation of humanitarian law. He added that the flechettes were probably fired from 122-mm ZSh1 artillery weapons used by Russian artillery.
The number of discovered victims among civilians in the Kyiv region is growing daily. People killed during the temporary occupation are found during territory examinations. The number of victims in Bucha already exceeds 300 among civilians.