President Joe Biden announced yesterday the US will send antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine, reversing a ban in place since 2022. Officials suggested the devices will shore up Ukraine's defenses against Russia's deployment of small squads across its lines; rights groups say the mines will endanger civilians.
More than 160 countries are signatories to the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the mines designed to detonate on contact. Russia and the US are not party to the treaty, with Russia deploying mines since the start of the conflict. Ukraine—a signatory—manufactures them. The US-supplied mines are reportedly nonpersistent, designed to self-deactivate after a set period. Analysts estimate that since the war began, 20% of Ukraine's territory has become contaminated by mines.
Separately, the US closed its embassy in Kyiv yesterday amid tips of a possible air attack following the launch of short-range US-made ballistic missiles into Russia; the embassies of several European countries have followed suit.
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