Poland and Baltic states want to exit landmine treaty over Russia’s military threat


Poland and the Baltic states said on Tuesday that they want to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing Russia’s growing military threat. In a joint statement, the defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said they “unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention”.

The 1997 treaty — which prohibits the use, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines — has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 countries. Russia has not joined the agreement, and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has turned the war-torn country into the most mine-laden nation in the world, according to reports.

Read more…
Source: Euronews


Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter


Related:

  • U.S. Plans to Provide Additional $1.5 Million for Demining Efforts in Serbia

    April 23, 2026

    On his visit to Serbia, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker attended a de-mining demonstration at the Serbian Mine Action Center in Velika Mostanica. Ambassador Whitaker’s visit underscores U.S. commitment to the new era in U.S.-Serbia relations and continued dedication to cooperation in many fields, including demining efforts. To date, the United States has invested more ...

  • Landmines pose growing threat to people and environment, UNDP warns

    April 22, 2026

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday called for stronger political commitment to clear landmines and other explosive ordnance as a precondition for longer-term recover, warning that they are also causing lasting environmental damage. Speaking at the 29th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers in Geneva, UNDP said explosive ordnance ...

  • UNDP: Debris and Explosive Ordnance – A Guide 2026

    April 21, 2026

    This guidance provides a practical framework for managing debris contaminated with explosive ordnance in post-conflict environments, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Recognizing that debris removal at scale is primarily a civil engineering activity, the guidance outlines how explosive ordnance risk can be effectively managed through targeted EOD support rather than full clearance. It emphasizes that ...

  • Afghanistan: Saving lives in Helmand’s most conflict-affected communities

    April 15, 2026

    In the south of Afghanistan, Helmand Province was once at the centre of heavy fighting between the Taliban and NATO and the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces. Until 2021, NATO and the ANA tried to expel the Taliban from their heartland, but the latter fought back fiercely. Today, the war has ended, but the danger has ...

  • Azerbaijan: Mine explosion in Fuzuli kills ANAMA employee

    April 14, 2026

    An employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), 31-year-old Mughan Metili, was killed in a mine explosion in the village of Ashagi Abdurrahmanli in the Fizuli district on Tuesday. The pro-government media outlet APA said Metili had stepped on an anti-tank mine during demining operations. Metili’s relative told the pro-government media outlet Qafqazinfo that he ...

  • New York: Soldiers test new technology at Fort Drum training exercise

    April 14, 2026

    The sound of long-range missiles and mortar strikes filled the morning air Tuesday as 10th Mountain Division soldiers trained for battle. The most deployed division of the U.S. Army tested some of the newest technology the Army has. On display, soldiers used one of the Army’s newest pieces of technology, a remotely driven pickup truck, a ...

  • Bangladesh: IEDs, anti-personnel mines detected, flammable chemicals seized at Naikhongchhari border

    April 10, 2026

    Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has detected improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and anti-personnel mines along the Naikhongchhari border in Bandarban and seized a significant quantity of flammable chemical substances in separate operations. According to a BGB press release, a patrol team from Naikhongchhari Battalion (11 BGB), under the Ramu Sector, conducted a special operation on April 9 ...

  • Danish Refugee Council removes explosive ordnance from key humanitarian infrastructure supporting forced returnees in Afghanistan

    April 7, 2026

    The Danish Refugee Council has removed ten pieces of explosive ordnance from critical humanitarian infrastructure supporting forced returnees from Pakistan. This explosive ordnance was found following heavy fighting in March at the Torkham border area following the latest round of Pakistan–Afghanistan hostilities. Danish Refugee Council humanitarian mine action teams were called to the area following reports of ...

  • Somalia: Army clears IEDs in Middle Shabelle

    April 6, 2026

    The Somali National Army (SNA) conducted a highly critical mine clearance operation today in the Gololey area, located on the outskirts of Balcad town within the Middle Shabelle region. During the sweep, the specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the Somali National Army successfully located and safely removed an active improvised explosive device (IED). Intelligence ...

  • UNSMIL: 63 people killed by landmines in Libya in 2025

    April 5, 2026

    A total of 63 people, including 21 children, were killed in landmine-related incidents in Libya during 2025, according to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Libyan-led efforts to secure and better manage weapons and ammunition stockpiles and to clear explosive remnants. In a statement issued Saturday marking the ...

  • Ukraine: Over 100,000 sq km of land still potentially dangerous due to mines

    April 5, 2026

    More than 100,000 square kilometers of Ukraine’s territory remain potentially hazardous. The Office of the President of Ukraine reported this on Facebook on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. “More than 100,000 square kilometers of our country still remain potentially dangerous. But Ukraine is doing everything to increase ...

  • Iraq reports 30K casualties from unexploded ordnance since 2003

    April 4, 2026

    Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill and maim in Iraq, where thousands of victims over decades underscore one of the country’s most persistent post-war dangers. The threat has lingered for years despite international awareness campaigns and clearance efforts, with the United Nations marking April 4 as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in ...

  • Syria: Over 110,000 Mines and war remnants cleared since the start of 2026

    April 4, 2026

    More than 110,000 mines and explosive remnants of war have been dismantled or destroyed across Syria since the beginning of 2026 by engineering units of the Syrian Arab Army, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Defense on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness. The Ministry’s Media and Communication Department told SANA ...

  • Mine action clearing the path to climate resilience and lasting peace

    April 2, 2026

    In parts of Cambodia, land that once lay unused for years is slowly being reclaimed. For those living decades with the legacy of conflict, fields and forests were not simply unproductive–they were unsafe. Families avoided their own land, knowing that what lay beneath the soil could be deadly. Across many parts of the world this reality ...

  • UK: AI-powered drones to detect explosive threats and protect military personnel

    April 2, 2026

    UK military personnel are set to be better protected on the battlefield as a result of trials which demonstrate cutting-edge AI in drones can rapidly recognise new threats, such as landmines and other explosive ordnance. The major trial by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on behalf of the British Army allowed bomb-disposal experts to ...

  • Invest in Peace; Invest in Mine Action

    April 1, 2026

    The world marks the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, reaffirming the essential role mine action plays in securing peace, enabling recovery, and driving sustainable development. This year’s global theme, “Invest in Peace, Invest in Mine Action,” highlights a fundamental truth: peace cannot be sustained where landmines, cluster munition ...

  • Every Step Could be a Threat: Children and Explosive Remnants of War

    April 1, 2026

    In conflict and post-conflict settings, children face daily the risk of being killed or maimed from mines and explosive remnants of war. On the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, calls for urgent and renewed attention and resources for ...

  • Syria: Two members of engineering teams injured in landmine explosion in northern Al-Raqqah

    March 31, 2026

    Two members of an engineering unit specialized in mine clearance, affiliated with the Syrian Army’s 72nd Division, were injured due to the explosion of an old landmine while they were attempting to dismantle it in Ain Issa town in northern Al-Raqqah countryside. War remnants are prevalent over large geographical areas in Syria amid a complete absence ...

  • Thailand: Mine clearance stepped up on Sa Kaeo border as more than 60,000 sq m remain high-risk

    March 28, 2026

    Burapha Task Force says it has cleared 39,100 sq m of a nearly 100,000-sq-m suspected hazardous area on the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo, but more than 60% remains dangerous. A POMZ-2 anti-personnel mine was recently found and removed. Burapha Task Force, through Humanitarian Mine Action Unit 1, on Saturday entered the Thai-Cambodian border area to ...

  • Iran: US-made Gator anti-tank mines reportedly discovered near missile facility outside Shiraz

    March 27, 2026

    Images circulating online appear to show U.S.-made scatterable anti-tank land mines near a suspected Iranian missile facility outside Shiraz, raising questions about whether the United States has begun using area-denial weapons to hinder Iran’s missile operations. Iranian state media first reported the discovery of the devices on Thursday, claiming several people were killed after the mines ...

  • Nigeria: Federal Government mulls civilian de-mining teams to curb rising IED threats

    March 24, 2026

    Christopher Musa, minister of defence, says the federal government will establish civilian de-mining teams comprising retired military personnel, other security veterans, and civilians, including youths and medical professionals, to tackle threats of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the national mine action stakeholders’ workshop, the minister said the threat posed by anti-personnel ...

  • UN mine action chiefs for Ethiopia and Sudan call for more funding

    March 19, 2026

    The heads of United Nations landmine action programmes in Ethiopia and Sudan have called for more funding and awareness of contamination by munitions. Both say mines kill and maim a disproportionate number of children, adding that people cannot return to safety without addressing explosive hazards. Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, the Ethiopia chief said ...