Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised the U.S. for their decision to provide landmines in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The approved landmines came from the U.S. in an attempt to slow down Russian troops, who have been advancing into Ukraine's east in recent months.
It was part of a broader defence package offered by Washington, which Zelensky said would “really strengthen our troops on the front”.
The U.S. has already been providing anti-tank mines to Ukraine, but the new package will see anti-personnel land mines join the conflict.
These explosives are often concealed on the ground and designed to detonate when people step over or near them and can be rapidly deployed.
The Defence Secretary for the U.S., Lloyd Austin, said they made the decision to provide landmines due to Russia’s changing battlefield tactics, seeing troops sent in first rather than “mechanised forces”.
However, the move has been widely condemned by human rights organisations and charities, largely due to the possible impact on civilians.
Human Rights Watch director Mary Wareham labelled the decision as a “shocking and devastating development”, while the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said they condemned it “in the strongest possible terms”.
While the use of landmines is not illegal under international law, more than 160 nations have signed the Mine Ban Treaty including Ukraine.
The Treaty commits to banning the production, use and stockpiling of anti-personnel landmines.