Rights Watchdog Uncovers More Evidence Of Ukraine Using Banned Antipersonnel Mines

A prominent human rights organization said on Friday that it had obtained additional evidence regarding Ukraine's use of banned PFM-1 antipersonnel landmines, and called on Kiev again to act on its pledge to investigate such incidents.

In January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report calling on Ukraine to investigate "its military's apparent use of thousands of rocket-fired antipersonnel landmines," in and around the eastern city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region from April to September 2022. Health workers reported nearly 50 civilian casualties in the region at the time, HRW said. In June, at the annual meeting of the Ottawa Treaty on the prohibition of the anti-personnel mines in Geneva, Ukraine said it did not use them.

 "The Ukrainian government should act on its expressed commitment not to use banned antipersonnel landmines, investigate its military's use of these weapons, and hold those responsible to account," HRW said in Friday's statement.

The organization added that it had uncovered additional evidence of Ukraine's use of such weapons since the January report was published. HRW noted that it had informed Kiev of its findings in May, but has yet to receive a response.

"The Ukrainian government's pledge to investigate its military's apparent use of banned antipersonnel mines is an important recognition of its duty to protect civilians," Steve Goose, arms director at HRW, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 treaty banning anti-personnel mines and has said it has rid itself of much of its Soviet-era stockpile. In 2021, Ukraine said that about 3.3 million PFM mines, known as "petals" or "butterflies," remained to be destroyed.