Cluster munitions killed or injured more than 1,000 people worldwide in 2025, most of them in Ukraine, a monitor said yesterday, with civilians accounting for the vast majority of victims.

In total, the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) registered at least 1,063 casualties from the widely-banned weapons across nine countries last year -- one of the highest annual totals on record.

As has been the case since Russia expanded the invasion of its western neighbour in February 2022, Ukraine registered by far the highest casualty figure at 927, making up 87 percent of the total.

Cluster munition casualties were also recorded in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Russia and Syria, CMC said in its annual report.

Cluster munitions can be dropped from planes or fired from artillery before exploding in mid-air and scattering bomblets over a wide area.

They pose a lasting threat since many fail to explode on impact, effectively acting as landmines that can explode years later.