Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to remove Kiev from the international treaty that outlaws the use of anti-personnel landmines. Ukraine has used prohibited landmines throughout the conflict with Russia in violation of the pact.
Roman Kostenko, the secretary of the Rada’s Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, said Zelensky ordered the withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty on Sunday.
“I have just been informed that the President of Ukraine signed a Decree, putting into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to withdraw our state from the Ottawa Convention – an international treaty prohibiting the use, accumulation and production of anti-infantry mines,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party of this convention and massively applies mines against our military and civilians. We cannot stay bound when the enemy has no limitations.”
Ukrainian and Russian forces have both used anti-personnel landmines throughout the conflict, with a 2023 Human Rights Watch report finding that Kiev used rocket-fired landmines in civilian areas, leading to casualties. The group has documented Moscow’s use of similar weapons in previous reporting.
“Ukrainian forces appear to have extensively scattered landmines around the Izium area, causing civilian casualties and posing an ongoing risk,” said Steve Goose, Arms Division director at Human Rights Watch. “Russian forces have repeatedly used anti-personnel mines and committed atrocities across the country, but this doesn’t justify Ukrainian use of these prohibited weapons.”
Several other US allies in Eastern Europe are planning to follow Ukraine’s lead and leave the Ottawa Treaty, including Finland, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Russia is not a party to the pact.
Landmines are indiscriminate weapons that often remain on the ground for years after conflicts come to an end, maiming and killing civilians. Cluster munitions present a similar threat. However, Washington has supplied Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds containing bomblets.
