Banned weapons - Why Europe is bringing back landmines

Landmines can maim and kill civilians and are banned in many countries under the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. Yet on Europe’s northeastern border, these controversial weapons are making a comeback.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states are rearming and bringing banned anti-personnel landmines (APLs) back into their arsenals. While military and political leaders say they contribute to strategic deterrence, mine victims and deminers say they pose a serious long-term danger.
The war in Ukraine has reshaped Europe’s security thinking and triggered a radical shift in Finland. According to Colonel Riku Mikkonen of the Finnish armed forces, the military considers APLs a cost effective tool for national defence and a pragmatic instrument of deterrence.
But to Zoran Ješić, who lost a leg to a mine in the Bosnian war, these weapons continue to kill, maim and render entire regions uninhabitable even decades after conflicts have ended.

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