Human Rights Watch: “Ukraine may have caused civilian casualties with illegal landmines” | War Ukraine and Russia

Earlier it became known that Russia is using PFM mines in the invasion of Ukraine, also known as butterfly mines. Since the Ottowa Convention in 1997, the majority of countries worldwide have committed themselves not to use such weapons because it is not possible to distinguish between civilian and military casualties. Although Ukraine also signed the treaty in 1999, it is now suspected that the country has indeed used PFM mines. Russia, on the other hand, is not a member of the treaty.

Izhum was occupied by Russia between April and September last year. HRW determined that a butterfly mine incident occurred at nine different locations in the region during that period. There were at least eleven fatalities among the inhabitants. Medical workers who recognize the type of wound caused by a butterfly mine speak of at least 50 seriously injured patients, including five children. This usually required an amputation of, for example, the lower leg.

Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a large stockpile of landmines of the recovered type. In their own words, about 3.4 million of them have already been destroyed, about half. The rest would still be stored.

Oleksandr Polishchuk, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, insists that his army has remained faithful to international human rights law and all the treaties the country has signed. He says he does not want to give more information about the weapons used by Ukraine before the end of the war.

HRW is now asking Ukraine to start an investigation into the use of butterfly mines by its own troops and to destroy the remaining stock once and for all. In the same report, the organization also calls on Russia to sign the treaty.