Five Nato countries neighbouring Russia or its ally, Belarus, have announced that they are to opt out of the Ottawa treaty of 1997. This treaty bans the use by signatories of anti-personnel (AP) landmines. These states – Poland, Finland, Lithuania,
Estonia and Latvia – now have plans to create a 2,000-mile stretch of mined areas as part of a defensive effort against any possible attack from Russia. The move to create such minefields comes as the result of both a recognition of the perceived growing threat from Russia and of the important defensive effect – as proved during the current Ukraine war – that both AP and anti-tank (AT) landmines can generate.
Read more…
Source: The Conversation News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Ukraine on track to withdraw from Ottawa anti-personnel mines treaty
June 29, 2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ...
- Jersey: Royal Navy divers remove “high-explosive projectile” from local waters
June 26, 2025
Royal Navy divers have helped dispose of a “high-explosive projectile” lurking in local waters. The “historic” live ordnance was initially spotted by a civilian diver in the sea at Bouley Bay. A Royal Navy bomb disposal team arrived in Jersey at the weekend and carried out an operation in which the ordnance was located and moved ...
- UK: Man dies and Bomb Squad called to incident in St Helens
June 25, 2025
Emergency services remain at the scene of a home in St Helens after multiple unexploded devices were discovered inside the property, prompting an evacuation and an overnight cordon. Officers were initially called to the address on Chadwick Road on Monday 23rd June following the death of a man in his 60s, which police confirmed was not ...
- UK: Controlled explosion carried out on ‘unidentified liquid’ found in Sussex
June 24, 2025
A controlled explosion has been carried out on an “unidentified liquid” found in a house in Eastbourne. Residents from around 160 properties were safely evacuated from the area and an 85m cordon was put in place as a precaution. Sussex Police and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams say they were called to a property on Hyde ...
- UK: Bomb squad hunt for man with ‘five hand grenades’ in Midland suburb
June 21, 2025
A police bomb squad is urgently searching for a man who wandered off with five suspected hand grenades after seven in total were found in Hopwood. Two of the hand grenades were safely detonated by the bomb squad after they were discovered in a canal on Lea End Lane last night, June 20. They were found ...
- Italy bolsters Ukraine’s humanitarian demining efforts with EUR 1.5 million contribution via UNDP
June 20, 2025
Italy has announced a new significant contribution to Ukraine’s humanitarian demining efforts, formalized today through the official signing of a EUR 1.5 million agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. The agreement, the principle beneficiary of which will be the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, aims to bolster the UNDP Mine Action Programme ...
- U.S. Navy EOD Removes Ordnance from WWII Shipwreck in Latvia
June 19, 2025
LIEPAJA, Latvia – U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 conducted underwater clearance operations in the port of Liepaja as part of the multinational maritime exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 25. Their mission was to locate, move, and safely dispose of dangerous historical ordnance from the sunken WWII-era ...
- The European Union donates 15 off-road vehicles to BiH Mine Action Centre to strengthen mine clearance efforts
June 19, 2025
The European Union donated 15 off-road vehicles to Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre (BHMAC) today in Sarajevo. These vehicles will support the safe transport of demining teams and equipment to remote and hard-to-reach mine-suspected areas, enabling more efficient demining operations on the ground. The vehicles are procured under the larger EU funded Mine Action project, ...
- Finland exits landmine ban treaty amid defence shift
June 19, 2025
The Finnish Parliament has approved the government’s proposal to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, reversing the country’s long-standing commitment to banning anti-personnel landmines. The decision passed with 157 votes in favour and 18 against, with no abstentions and 24 members absent. The move, announced in April, allows the Finnish Defence Forces to reintroduce landmines as part ...
- Poland adds minefields to ‘East Shield’ protective barrier with Russia and Belarus
June 17, 2025
Authorities in Warsaw say they have added minefields to the “East Shield” project, the name given to the protective barrier at the border with Russia and Belarus. Construction began in November last year and now occurs year-round, seven days a week. Poland is strengthening its borders as it attempts to ward off threats amid heightened tensions ...
- Portugal arrests six linked to a far-right group, seizes explosives and weapons
June 17, 2025
Portuguese authorities arrested six people linked to a far-right group and seized explosive material and several firearms, police said Tuesday. The detainees are believed to belong to the so-called Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL), which sought to establish itself as a political movement supported by an armed militia, according to a police statement. They are suspected of ...
- Russia: North Korea to send 1,000 sappers, 5,000 builders to restore Kursk Region
June 17, 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong un will send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military builders to help restore the Kursk Region, Russia’s Security Council quoted its Secretary Sergey Shoigu as saying after a visit to North Korea. “Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong un has decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia ...
- Northern Ireland: Explosive device discovered after arson attack damages multiple vehicles
June 16, 2025
Police investigating a fire that damaged multiple vehicles discovered a viable explosive device in follow up searches. The fire at the business premises near Newry was started deliberately, police said. Fire crews and police were first alerted to the fire on the Killeen School Road around 3.15am on Monday. After the crews managed to put out ...
- Ukraine faces $25 billion bill for farmland demining
June 16, 2025
Demining agricultural lands in Ukraine contaminated with explosive devices could cost nearly ₴1 trillion (about $25 billion), MP Nina Yuzhanina wrote on Telegram on June 14. “Economy Ministry data indicated that 30 auctions for demining agricultural lands totaling 5,370 hectares have been held since the beginning of 2025,” she wrote. “The final price of the work ...
- Ukraine: Cost of demining 1 ha of farmland stands at UAH 62,000
June 16, 2025
Almost UAH 1 trillion will be required to clear lands contaminated with explosive devices in Ukraine, MP Nina Yuzhanina reported on Telegram. ” According to the Ministry of Economy, 30 auctions have been held since the beginning of 2025 to demined agricultural lands with a total area of 5,370 hectares. The final cost of the work ...