“According to WR, US President Joe Biden authorized the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine. Source: The Washington Post Details: The publication notes that the move follows the White House’s recent authorization to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
According to WR, US President Joe Biden authorized the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.
Source: The Washington Post
Details: The publication notes that this step followed the recent authorization by the White House to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia.
One official said the type of anti-personnel mines are “non-sustainable,” meaning they self-destruct or run out of battery, rendering them inactive, reducing the danger to civilians.
The official noted that Ukrainian politicians undertook not to install landmines in densely populated areas.
However, arms control experts noted that even unstable mines pose a security threat.
A total of four officials spoke on condition of anonymity about sensitive internal White House discussions.
Direct speech one of the officials: “Russia is attacking Ukrainian positions in the east with waves of troops, despite the losses it is suffering. So the Ukrainians are obviously suffering losses, and more and more cities and towns are at risk of falling. Such mines were created specifically to combat this very thing.” .
“When the mines are used together with other munitions that we already provide to Ukraine, they will contribute to a more effective defense.”
Details: According to one of the officials, the use of mines will be limited to Ukrainian territory, with an expected focus on eastern Ukraine.
WR adds that one Ukrainian official welcomed any change in policy, despite the potential risks that could arise from the widespread deployment of these weapons.
“Russia still uses them,” the official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
But some human rights activists said that the US decision to provide anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, which has signed the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, is a “black mark” against Washington.
In 2020, then-US President Donald Trump’s administration reversed Barack Obama-era policy, calling for the strategic use of landmines to counter adversaries such as Russia and China, drawing strong condemnation from arms control advocates.
“This will put more civilians at risk of being injured by unexploded mines and is militarily unnecessary,” Biden said while running for president in response to Trump’s decision, calling it “reckless.”
As of 2022, the United States had a stockpile of about 3 million antipersonnel mines. The mines have not been used since 1991, the first Gulf War, except for one incident in 2002 in Afghanistan involving a single munition, the State Department said in 2022.
The Biden administration has already committed to supporting demining efforts in Ukraine after the war ends. One US official said the administration would extend that commitment to help clear US-supplied mines.