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:
- Iraq: Landmine explosion kills shepherd in Erbil Governorate
June 28, 2025
On Saturday, a young man was killed when a landmine exploded in Sidekan district, north of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. According to the Erbil Directorate of Mine Affairs, Sadiq Osman had entered the area to herd sheep when the explosion occurred, causing his immediate death. Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to pose a ...
- Cambodia approaches completion of minefield survey along Thai border
June 27, 2025
Cambodia is nearing the completion of its most extensive minefield survey, which aims to uncover the full extent of explosive contamination along its borders with Thailand, areas heavily affected by decades of conflict. According to Tep Kallyan, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), the survey has been finalised in ...
- Vietnam steps up efforts to address post-war UXO contamination
June 24, 2025
Efforts to address the consequences of unexploded ordnance (UXO) not only tackle the remnants of war but also pave the way for the revival of once-devastated land areas. More than half a century after the war, millions of unexploded bombs and mines remain buried underground, threatening lives and hindering development in many localities. According to the ...
- 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 ...
- Cambodia: Anti-tank mine injures excavator driver at site of new Oddar Meanchey zoo
June 16, 2025
An excavator operator suffered serious injuries in a landmine explosion this morning, June 16, as he operated his machine at a construction site in Oddar Meanchey province’s O’Smach commune, in Samraong town. The incident raised the number of victims of explosive remnants of war (ERWs) to at least 22 this year. Heng Ratana, director-general of the ...
- UN: Guterres to launch life-saving campaign strengthening mine action worldwide
June 16, 2025
The UN Secretary-General is set to launch a global campaign to boost support for disarmament and mine action. António Guterres announced the move in a statement issued on Monday, in response to plans by several UN Member States to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The 1997 treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention, prohibits the ...
- Russia: Ukraine uses homemade 3D-printed anti-personnel mines
June 13, 2025
Russian forces operating near the border with Ukraine have encountered a new challenge in the ongoing conflict: 3D-printed antipersonnel mines deployed by Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region. These improvised explosive devices, described as small, lightweight, and disguised to blend into their surroundings, mark a significant evolution in low-cost, high-impact weaponry. The development underscores a broader shift ...
- Cambodia: Pailin farmer killed by landmine while ploughing
June 11, 2025
A farmer was killed in Sala Krao district, Pailin province, yesterday when a landmine exploded while he was ploughing a field with his tractor. Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, confirmed that the explosion took place in a rice field in Phum O’Dei Ngoc village, Stung Trang commune, resulting in the death ...
- Cambodia: Koh Kong’s Srae Ambel district declared mine-free
June 10, 2025
Srae Ambel District in Koh Kong Province was declared mine-free in a June 10 ceremony, with mine clearance efforts supported by assistance from the Government of India. Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of India. He noted that it has ...
- Afghanistan: Explosion in Paktia kills one, injures four
June 9, 2025
Local sources in Paktia province report that a 12-year-old child was killed and four others injured in a mine explosion. The incident occurred in the village of Hasan Khil in Dand-e-Patan district on Sunday. According to reports, the children were playing with a mortar shell when the explosion happened. Locals attribute the explosion to a roadside ...
- Syria: People killed and injured by landmines in Deir ez-Zor as they return home
June 5, 2025
People returning to their war-torn homes and villages in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, are being wounded or even killed after encountering unexploded devices. Between 28 May and 1 June, four incidents resulted in eight casualties, including the deaths of four children, highlighting the urgent need for the area to be cleared of explosive remnants of war ...
- Landmines imperil the EU’s moral compass
June 4, 2025
The European Union has long stood at the forefront of the fight against anti-personnel landmines. Its early and active support for the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty reflected a shared European belief: that these weapons are inherently inhumane, fundamentally indiscriminate, and have no place in modern warfare. This was a principled stance rooted in the devastating humanitarian ...
- Israel: Three soldiers killed, two injured in a minefield explosion in Gaza
June 3, 2025
Three Israeli soldiers from the Givati Brigade were killed Monday in a deadly minefield explosion during an IDF ground operation in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. The soldiers were identified as Sergeant Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva; Sergeant Ofek Barhana, 20, from Yavne; and Sergeant Omer van Gelder, 22, from Maale Adumim. The explosion occurred as a ...
- Azerbaijan: Landmine blast injures one in Goranboy district
May 31, 2025
A mine incident occurred in the village of Yenikand in the Goranboy district on Saturday, according to a joint statement from the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA). The statement reported that Abbasov Galib Kamran oglu, a resident of the Garachinar village in the Goranboy district, ...
- Mexico arrests 10 Colombian ex-soldiers after deadly blast
May 30, 2025
Ten Colombian former soldiers were among the suspects arrested after an improvised landmine killed six Mexican troops in a drug cartel heartland this week, authorities said Friday. More than 40 explosive devices were seized along with other weapons in the western state of Michoacan, according to statements from the national and local governments. In total, 17 ...
- Mexico: Eight soldiers killed in explosion on the borders of Michoacán and Jalisco
May 28, 2025
The number of Special Forces soldiers killed by the explosion of a mine-type device on the border between Michoacán and Jalisco has risen to eight, federal sources reported. The initial report had been of two officers and four troops killed yesterday when they were patrolling in an armored vehicle of the Special Immediate Reaction Force (FERI), ...
- Azerbaijan neutralises over 600 explosives in Karabakh
May 26, 2025
The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has released its latest weekly update detailing clearance operations across formerly occupied territories. Between May 19 to 25, ANAMA specialists conducted large-scale demining activities in several regions, including Tartar, Aghdara, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Khojaly, Khankendi, Khojavend, Lachin, Shusha, Fuzuli, Gubadli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan. A total of 80 anti-personnel mines, ...
- Russian explosives experts demine 37,500 hectares in Kursk Region
May 21, 2025
Russian mine clearance specialists have inspected and demined about 37,500 hectares in the Kursk Region’s borderline areas as well as 767 kilometers of roadways and 31 residential communities, acting regional Governor Alexander Khinshtein said in a broadcast by the Rossiya-24 TV channel. “I can tell you exact figures as of yesterday: 37,500 hectares, 767 kilometers of ...
- New Zealand’s efforts bomb clearing in Laos
May 21, 2025
Southeast Asia’s Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita – 80 million unexploded bombs (UXO) are scattered across the country. New Zealand has spent the last two decades helping to clear these hidden dangers. Writer Samantha Mythen has more. I sat in the make-shift movie theatre, chairs haphazardly organised across the floor. The French, ...
- Using Drones and AI for a Mine-free World
May 16, 2025
Waseda University and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed a cooperation agreement in 2018. Since then, the two have been jointly researching and developing solutions for detecting landmines and unexploded ordnance. As part of this, Professor Hideyuki Sawada of the Faculty of Science and Engineering is working on detecting buried landmines using drones ...
- Russian Emergencies Ministry sappers destroy 2,100 munitions in Kursk Region over month
May 12, 2025
The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s sappers have found and destroyed more than 4,300 munitions in the border areas of the Kursk Region, the agency’s press service told TASS. “The Russian Emergencies Ministry continues to survey the territories and search for explosive objects in the Kursk border area. In total, more than 4,300 dangerous objects have been destroyed ...