Today at 16:24
U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the provision of American antipersonnel mines to Ukraine.
That is according to The Washington Post, citing U.S. administration officials, Ukrinform reports.
As noted, the Biden administration is deeply concerned about Russia’s assaults against Ukraine’s front lines in recent weeks and sees a pressing need to blunt the advance. The Pentagon believes that the provision of the mines is among the most helpful steps the Biden administration can do to help slow Russia’s attack, officials said.
The official said the Ukrainian side had committed to not deploying the mines in densely populated areas.
They noted that these mines were designed specifically to stop the advance of ground troops.
The United States had a stockpile of about 3 million antipersonnel land mines as of 2022. The mines had not been used since 1991.
Biden had been reluctant to supply Ukraine with the mines in the face of concerns within his own administration and from a wide range of anti-mine advocates who say the risk to civilians is unacceptably high. But Russia’s battlefield progress in recent months has forced the White House to find fresh ways to help Kyiv.
More than 160 countries (apart from the United States) have signed an international treaty banning their use, noting that the indiscriminate weapons can cause enduring harm to civilians. The Russian forces have deployed antipersonnel land mines liberally on the front lines.
One official said the type of antipersonnel land mine is “nonpersistent,” meaning that the mines self-destruct or lose battery charge to render them inactive within days or weeks, reducing the danger to civilians.
As reported, Joe Biden recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia.
