Europe faces return of landmines as defence against Putin


Britain and its European allies must urgently regain the ability to deploy landmines if they are to be able to counter the “terrifying” threat posed by Russia, experts have warned.

Finland, a new member of Nato in the wake of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, announced in December that it was considering pulling out of the Ottawa treaty after Moscow, which is not a signatory, planted millions of mines in its ongoing war with Kyiv. The Scandinavian country, which has an 800-mile border with Russia, said the move should be seen as “defensive”. Leaders in the neighbouring Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – have also mooted returning to the use of anti-personnel mines, with senior figures in Estonia floating the idea of leaving the Ottawa ban.

Read more…
Source: MSN News


Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter


Related:

  • Pakistan: At least two killed, 25 injured in landmine blast in North Waziristan

    September 7, 2023

    The death toll from a landmine explosion in northwest Pakistan has shot up to two, while 25 were injured, police said on Thursday. The incident took place in Shawal area of the restive North Waziristan tribal district that sits near Afghanistan’s border, when a passenger van carrying laborers hit a landmine on Wednesday. Read more… Source: YeniSafak Related: 1 ...

  • IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine – Update 181

    September 1, 2023

    During the previous rotation on 3 August 2023, IAEA experts had been granted access to the reactor rooftops of units 3 and 4, which allowed them to verify that no mines or explosives were placed there or on the rooftops of the turbine halls. The ISAMZ team, therefore, expected similar access to the rooftops of ...

  • Ukraine mines could exceed 1 million, says UN expert

    August 31, 2023

    United Nations mine experts working on the ground in Ukraine have told CGTN that the number of unexploded devices in the country could be in excess of 1 million. CGTN has spoken to Alexander Lobov, a military engineer and mine action expert working with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in his home country. “Taking into consideration ...

  • Cambodia: Educational efforts reduce landmine risks

    August 28, 2023

    Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), emphasised on August 25 the vital role of education in mitigating the risks posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). He highlighted the ongoing commitment of the CMAA, along with mine action operators and stakeholders, to raise public awareness ...

  • More Afghan children fall victim to unexploded war remnants – UNICEF

    August 24, 2023

    On Thursday, the organization said on social media X that 85% of the victims affected by unexploded ordnance are children. This alarming statistic highlights these remnants’ disproportionate impact on the younger population, shedding light on a profoundly concerning issue in Afghanistan. UNICEF highlights urgent collective action for Afghan children’s safety amid unexploded remnants, stressing coordinated clearing ...

  • IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine – Update 180

    August 22, 2023

    As part of their monitoring activities at the ZNPP, the IAEA experts are expecting access to the rooftops of reactor buildings 1, 2, 5 and 6 in the coming days. Earlier in August, the team did not observe any mines or explosives on the rooftops or turbine halls of units 3 and 4 after receiving ...

  • Iraq: 59% of areas contaminated with landmines cleared

    August 21, 2023

    The Iraqi Minister of Environment, Nizar Amidi, announced on Monday that 59 percent of the areas contaminated with mines have been cleared. Amidi confirmed that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani prioritizes issues related to the environment, adding that sufficient funds have been allocated in the federal budget to clear areas planted with landmines, according to ...

  • One Thing May Save Ukraine From Russia’s Mine Warfare Nightmare: Spider Boots

    August 18, 2023

    “Spider boots” may sound like one of the cool magic items you can find in fantasy games, but this specially-designed four-legged footwear exists in real life, and is literally a matter of saving life and limb. A recent news segment posted by Reuters highlights how combat engineers of Ukraine’s 128th ‘Transcarpathia’ Mountain Assault brigade are using ...

  • Ukrainian troops use thermal cameras for demining

    August 16, 2023

    Ukrainian troops are using experimental thermal imaging equipment to detect Russian mines, CNN reported on Aug.15. In the village of Robotyne, located in the southeastern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, According to the report, the new drone technique works best during periods with limited sunlight. Mines tend to retain the heat of the sun while the ground ...

  • Russia is expanding its use of landmines in Ukraine but removing them is proving difficult

    August 14, 2023

    One of crucial themes of the war in Ukraine has been the adaptation battle between the Ukrainians and Russians. Both sides have learned and adapted their tactics, technology and military organisations in order to improve their battlefield performance. The most important recent adaptation for the trajectory of the war has been Russia’s strategic shift to employing ...

  • Afghanistan: Landmines, remnants of war still threaten lives of Ghazni residents

    August 13, 2023

    Residents of southern Ghazni province are concerned about the existence of landmines and unexploded war remnants and urge the government and other relevant institutions to clear and destroy the explosives. They say areas which were the scene of battles remain littered with landmines and other unexploded ordnance, which must be cleared. Lahore, a resident of Godalo ...

  • Cambodia: NPA contributes $2.1 million for demining

    August 12, 2023

    The Norwegian People Aid (NPA) has granted the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) $2.1 million for demining. The funds will be used to clear 1,600 hectares of landmine-contaminated areas in the northwestern provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear. The one-year “Project for Humanitarian Demining in Cambodia” was signed between NPA Country Director Rune ...

  • Pakistan: Seven killed in Panjgur blast

    August 8, 2023

    At least seven people, including a newly elected Union Council chairman, were killed in an explosion in Panjgur district on Monday evening, officials said. Mohammad Ishaq, the Balga­tar UC chairman, was returning to his village along with six other people after attending a wedding when his vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb at Chakar ...

  • How to blast through a Russian minefield

    August 6, 2023

    What does it take to blast a path through a minefield? A monster of a vehicle – part tank, part bulldozer – firing a rocket attached to a cord of explosives. That detonation in turns detonates the mines that are in a soldier’s path. At Fort Carson, Colorado, Lt. Col. Latoya Manzey’s engineer battalion is training ...

  • IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine – Update 177

    August 4, 2023

    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have observed no mines or explosives on the rooftops of Unit 3 and Unit 4 reactor buildings and the turbine halls at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), after having been given access yesterday afternoon, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. Following repeated requests, the team had unimpeded access ...

  • Iran: A wildfire near Tehran triggers an explosion of mines planted around a high-security prison

    August 4, 2023

    A wildfire on the outskirts of Iran’s capital triggered an explosion Friday of mines that had been planted around a high-security prison that houses political prisoners, but there were no injuries, state media reported. The official IRNA news agency said the incident happened around noon at the Evin prison on the northern outskirts of Tehran, but ...

  • Ukraine will produce its own mine clearance machines

    August 2, 2023

    In Ukraine, a machine for preparing the soil for mine clearance was certified. The manufacturer received a certificate of conformity and a declaration of conformity, which allows establishing its production and using it for mine clearance of territories. This was stated in the message of the Ministry of Economy on Wednesday, August 2. A Kharkiv company ...

  • Ugandan peacekeepers starts clearing unexploded ordnances in DR Congo

    August 1, 2023

    The Ugandan peacekeeping troops have embarked on demining and clearing unexploded ordnances in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) Contingent is clearing unexploded ordnances from several plantations, fields, and bushes within the villages of Mabenga in DRC’s North Kivu Province, the UPDF ...

  • Somalia: Bomb blast wounds one person in Mogadishu

    August 1, 2023

    A witness says an explosion occurred in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu early on Monday Tuesday morning. The explosion from a landmine was targeted at a vehicle carrying soldiers of the government army that was passing through the Buulo Hubey neighborhood in the Wadajir district. It has been confirmed that one soldier was injured in the ...

  • KOICA applauds progress in Cambodia’s mine clearance

    July 29, 2023

    The success story of the mine clearance project, a collaboration between Cambodia and South Korea, was given high praise recently, as significant strides have been made in alleviating mine threats in the Kingdom. Senior minister Ly Thuch, who also serves as first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), held a ...

  • IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine – Update 176

    July 29, 2023

    Yesterday, the IAEA team visited reactor unit 5 where they observed the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool and the steam generator. The team noted that all equipment seemed to be in normal condition. There were no restrictions during the visit and the team did not observe any mines or explosives. However, during a walkdown within the ...

  • US troops in Ukraine can now earn hazard pay

    July 27, 2023

    The Pentagon has authorized additional hazard pay for U.S. troops serving in Ukraine, a defense official confirmed Thursday. The bonus, known as imminent danger pay, is offered to troops who serve in areas where they could be harmed by hostile fire or mines, insurrection, civil war or terrorism. Service members in Ukraine can now earn an ...