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- The law is unwritten: the United States has authorized Kiev to use anti-personnel mines
The law is unwritten: the United States has authorized Kiev to use anti-personnel mines
US President Joe Biden has authorized the transfer of anti-personnel mines to Kiev, although he had previously opposed their use. This type of ammunition is banned by the 1997 UN Ottawa Convention. The move signals a new round of escalation of the conflict, after the US authorized Kiev to use long-range weapons to strike Russia a few days earlier. Before that, the Ukrainian side had already been seen using Lepestok anti-personnel mines, which was accompanied by civilian deaths. Experts link such decisions of the White House with the failures of Ukraine on the battlefield and the imminent return of Donald Trump to power.
US to transfer anti-personnel mines to Ukraine
Outgoing US President Joe Biden has authorized the transfer of anti-personnel mines to Kiev, but the timing of their delivery is still unknown. The head of the White House previously opposed the use of this type of ammunition, but according to the American media, the advances of the Russian army and the losses of the AFU have changed the situation. In addition, the coming to power of Donald Trump is not far off.
The US Department of Defense confirmed that the current administration has approved the use of so-called non-resistant anti-personnel mines, which become inert after time. "They've asked for mines to be supplied to them, and I think that's a good idea," said department head Lloyd Austin. The Pentagon noted that Ukraine has promised not to use this type of weapons in civilian areas and to use them exclusively on its territory.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin during a press conference
Biden's actions go against his own policy. In 2022, he established new rules for the use of anti-personnel mines by the military, reversing a decision by former President Donald Trump that authorized the use of these weapons anywhere in the world. The White House said at the time that the U.S. would more strictly adhere to key criteria of the 1997 Ottawa Convention.
- Their timeline for self-liquidation could be very different. It is strange to hear about the transfer of these weapons from the US. The warehouses of the AFU are literally overflowing with Western mine weapons - they have been given hundreds of thousands, if not millions. They have been given anti-personnel, anti-tank, jumping, smart, and mines with remote sensing or detonation. Everything in the arsenals of Western countries, everything is transferred to the AFU. Therefore, the transfer of another batch will not solve anything," military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.
The Ottawa Treaty, or, as it is also called, the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, does not allow the accumulation and use of this type of ammunition. Kiev signed the agreement back in 1999 and ratified it in 2005. The country that approved it cannot withdraw from the agreement until the end of the armed conflict in which it is involved.
Moscow and Washington did not join the document. Despite this, the Russian side complies with its provisions and shares its goals and objectives. Full-fledged accession to the treaty does not yet seem expedient, as such mines remain an effective and low-cost means of ensuring the security of Russian borders, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website.
Despite Kiev's promises not to use mines in places where civilians are gathered, of course, we cannot take the Ukrainian authorities at their word. The AFU has been repeatedly seen using this type of weaponry, resulting in civilian casualties. Kiev began using anti-personnel mines from the beginning of the conflict inside the country in 2014 and continues to do so, military expert Roman Shkurlatov told Izvestia.
- "The AFU not only planted them, but also remotely planted entire neighborhoods with them - for example, with 'Petals,'" he noted. - Moreover, such mining was used in areas where civilians lived and there were no units of the DPR and LPR people's militias. It is known that anti-personnel mines, first of all, affect civilians, and especially often children. Therefore, they are recognized as inhumane weapons. But international conventions did not stop the AFU. The Kiev regime turned a blind eye to this, while its Western puppeteers looked on what was happening through their fingers. Although our side and international organizations, whose missions were present in the DNR and LNR, repeatedly recorded these violations," the military expert said.
In 2023, the UN reported that Ukraine violated the provisions of the convention during the fighting in Izyum in 2022.
- We see - everything that Ukraine signed does not play any role. They, according to this document, were going to destroy anti-personnel mines, but did not fulfill even half of their obligations," continued Vladislav Shurygin.
At the same time, according to him, there are already many German, French, Italian, as well as American mines in the NWO zone. Obviously, such supplies will have no effect on the situation in the combat zone, but they may cause more casualties among civilians.
A new round of escalation of the Ukrainian conflict
The approval for the supply and use of anti-personnel mines was given against the backdrop of Washington's actively discussed authorization to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. The first reports on the lifting of the ban appeared on November 18. However, the White House has not officially commented on the matter. However, all statements made by U.S. officials on this topic suggest that Washington has indeed authorized such strikes. Moreover, several missiles of this type have already been intercepted over the Bryansk region on the night of November 19, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
- It is quite possible that Joe Biden made such a decision in view of his imminent departure from the White House. Time is running out, and it is not obvious that the new administration would support such a decision. At the same time, Biden is faced with the fact that the situation on the battlefield for Ukrainian partners is worsening. One can assume that this is a certain gesture of desperation. He is using all the opportunities that remain at the disposal of the administration, this is the last tranche of military aid, and this is probably the decision to strike deep into the Russian Federation. Everything that is possible is being done now," RIAC research director Andrei Kortunov said in a conversation with Izvestia.
World leaders have already reacted to the growing tension in the international arena due to such actions. And we are talking not only about Russia's partners, but also Washington's allies. In particular, the Turkish side sees the lifting of the ban as a way to inflame the conflict and provoke Moscow to a harsh reaction. Condemnations followed from the Slovak authorities as well. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for his part, called a meeting of the Defense Council in connection with the threat of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
At the same time, the first deputy permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Dmitriy Polyanskiy, said that the Russian permanent representative office had no plans to initiate a special meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation around Washington's authorization of strikes against Russia.
- "No negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis have been and are being held on the UN platform," the Russian diplomat told Izvestiya.
One way or another, two months before the change of power in the United States, the involvement of the United States in the conflict is growing, Andrei Kortunov said. And the question now is to what extent the Biden administration's decisions will or will not be supported by Donald Trump and his team. If the billionaire's campaign promises are to be believed, Washington should go for de-escalation rather.
- One must look for the cause in domestic politics. Foreign policy is a reflection of it. Democrats want to mess with Donald Trump. All of this must be understood in the context of the appointments he is making. These appointments can even be called a "quiet revolution," but from the Democrats' point of view, it is a usurpation of power. If these people are eventually appointed and the Senate approves them, there will be a purge - layoffs, including of generals, a restructuring of the Pentagon - there will be a major reshuffle on all fronts. In short, Joe Biden wants to pay for this "quiet revolution" that is being prepared and put Trump in a difficult position, counting on escalation," explained Vladimir Brovkin, an American historian and former Harvard University lecturer.
That is, all this is happening, according to the expert, in order to derail the process of peaceful settlement, which Donald Trump has repeatedly said. In this, the current American administration is supported by some of its allies. In particular, on November 20, The Times, citing sources, reported that Washington approved the lifting of the ban on the use of British Storm Shadow missiles for strikes against Russia.
On the other hand, we should not forget that there are probably not many long-range missiles left in the Ukrainian arsenal. According to information in open sources, there were apparently two deliveries of the 1990s version, one in late 2023 and the other in March of this year. Combined, the two tranches may have included fewer than 50 ATACMS, Forbes writes.
