States that have signed the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, which Ukraine ratified in 2005, are prohibited from using this type of mine under any circumstances, Elizabeth Throssell, a spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), responded to a request to comment on the US supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.
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Earlier, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that the United States had begun providing anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, saying that this step was taken in response to the changed tactics of Russian troops, who are increasingly launching attacks using foot units. Ukraine ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2005, which prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines. Russia and the United States are not parties to the convention.
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“The obligations of States under the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction are very clear. Specifically: “Each State Party undertakes never and under no circumstances… to use anti-personnel mines,” – she said.
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Throssell added that, in accordance with the prohibitions set out in the Ottawa Convention, OHCHR’s position is that anti-personnel landmines should not be used by any party due to the threat they pose to civilians.
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“Furthermore, given recent events, we emphasize the need for all states to work to ensure that the use of highly destructive weapons, including nuclear weapons, is no longer possible and that risks of wider conflict are averted,” the OHCHR spokeswoman added.
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Earlier, Mark Hizney, a member of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), told reporters during the presentation of the Landmine Monitor 2023 report that Ukraine had already violated the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines during the fighting in the city of Izyum, Kharkov region.
