On the US decision to transfer anti-personnel mines to Ukraine

The US President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with anti-personnel mines.

According to reports, the mines to be transferred will have self-destruction and deactivation mechanisms that can reduce the threat to civilians.

The risk of indiscriminate use and the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines are among the key reasons why the international community has been consistently moving towards abandoning their use.

With regards to this issue, one must be cognisant of the context of the ongoing armed conflict and the facts of the systematic use of anti-personnel mines by Russia. We also welcome Ukraine's commitment not to use such weapons in densely populated areas (as outlined in the WP article).

Therefore, we call on the Ukrainian authorities to:

• Ensure compliance with international humanitarian law by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular with regard to the conditions for the use of anti-personnel mines.

• Conduct independent and comprehensive investigations and ensure justice for incidents involving the use of weapons in violation of IHL:
  • In 2023, the Ukrainian authorities already stated their intention to investigate the alleged use of anti-personnel mines in Izium, following a published investigation by Human Rights Watch. To date, the results of this investigation have not been made available to the public.
  • In October 2024, Ukraine ratified the Rome Statute with the application of Article 124, which may limit the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over war crimes committed by Ukrainian citizens (from 1 January 2025). In order to prevent an accountability gap, Ukraine must be prepared to ensure justice where other institutions, at least for the time being, cannot.