Russia's neighbors in Europe raise land mines bans - outrage grows

Russia's neighbors in Europe raise land mines bans - outrage grows

They are considered one of the most dangerous and indiscriminant weapons in the world. Nevertheless, five European countries have made their back on an international contract for the use of Lead Russia as a reason.

Finland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania - all bordering on the border with Russia - took steps to from the ottawa-contract . This contract prohibits the use of anti -person mines that are designed to make fatal mischief or mutilate people if they are entered.

reactions of human rights organizations

The developments have alerted campaign drivers who have been reintroduced by the worldwide tens of civilians and can contaminate one area for decades after the end of a conflict - as worrying step backwards. The contract signed in 1997, which also prohibits the production and storage of these weapons, is praised to have significantly reduced the damage by land mines.

In response to Finland's decision to step out of the contract, the human rights organization Amnesty International warned that the Nordic nation endanger civilian life and described this as "a worrying reset development". The decision "in contradiction to decades of progress in the elimination of production, transfer and use of nature from nature," said the NGO.

withdrawals and new security strategies

At the beginning of this year, the pact had 165 Member States. But large power blocks such as Russia, China, India, Pakistan and the United States have never joined him. In March, Poland and the three Baltic states announced their retreat in a joint statement and called for a rethink about the weapons that are acceptable in view of the aggression in Russia. These countries emphasized that they have to offer their armed forces more "flexibility and freedom of choice" to strengthen the defense of the eastern NATO flank.

In the following month, Latvia became the first country to formally escaped from the contract after the parliament was strongly behind the proposal. This means that Riga could start again after a waiting period of six months with the accumulation of landmines. Also this month Finland presented plans to follow Latvia. The Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the step and emphasized that Russia is a long-term danger to all of Europe: "The resignation from the Ottawa Treaty will give us the opportunity to prepare us for the changes in the security policy environment."

relationships with the war situation in Ukraine

These announcements are made, while US President Donald Trump intensifies his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. This has aroused fears in neighboring countries that Moscow could prepare themselves again and to target them. The Russia and Eurasia expert Keir Giles believes that Moscow, no matter how the conflict in Ukraine ends, will prepare for the next goal. "There is no doubt that Russia is looking for other means to achieve its goals in Europe," said Giles.

Giles recognizes the military advantages of using landmines. These underground explosives can slow down an invasion by redirecting or stopping troops to more easily defending areas while trying to penetrate the suspended areas. For countries that defend themselves against an army with a larger number, they can be of particular use. "They are an extremely effective means of strengthening the defense forces of a numerically inferior country," he said.

dangers for the civilian population

, however, he made it clear that western countries would not use landmines in the same way as the Russian armed forces. "There are very different design philosophies between countries that are not concerned about civilian victims or deliberately bring about them, and those who try to avoid them." In the Ukraine, extensive Russian minefields along the south case lines slowed down a counter -offensive in Ukraine in the summer of 2023.

The country is considered the most popular country in the world, according to the United Nations. The Ukrainian government estimates assumed that the Moscow armed forces have covered 174,000 square kilometers (65,637 square miles) of the Ukrainian territory with landmines and explosive residues.

The humanitarian dimension

This means that Ukrainian civilians, especially those who have returned to previously contested areas, are exposed to constant risk. "The large -scale contamination of land through explosive ordnance has created an 'invisible threat' in the minds of people," warned the international charity organization Humanity & Inclusion in a report from February on the use of country mines in Ukraine. "As a result, the movements of the people are extremely restricted; they can no longer order their country and are their social, economical or professional activities disabled. “

according to from human rights watch from 2023 also has Ukraine used antiperspower mines during the conflict and received them from the United States, although Kiev is a signatories of the ban from 1997. In comparison, Finland, Poland and the Baltic Nations emphasize that they would stick to their humanitarian principles when using these explosives, even though they retire from the ban.