Why landmines are back in force despite international bans
Russia's war on Ukraine has prompted several European countries to abandon a landmark 1990s landmine treaty. DW examines what is at stake.
Despite international bans, landmines are again being used in various conflicts around the world. In August 2020, a land mine explosion killed 12-year-old Raheela Bibi in Pakistan and injured her family members. More than 5,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed or injured by land mines globally in 2025, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. South Sudan saw 90% of these victims being children.
Landmines are designed to injure adults, not kill them, as injured soldiers strain resources more than dead ones. However, in peacetime, they continue to pose a threat to civilians, particularly children. Even decades after the Yugoslav wars, former Yugoslavia still sees casualties from land mines, with approximately 25,000 victims per year in the late 1990s.
The Ottawa Treaty, signed in 1997, banned anti-personnel mines but not China, India, Russia, or the US. Five European NATO countries that share a border with Russia have withdrawn from the treaty since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including Ukraine. Ukraine cites Russia's lack of treaty ratification and their use of mines in Ukrainian territory as justification for withdrawal.
Despite legal uncertainty, Ukraine reportedly uses mines, albeit on a smaller scale than Russia, affecting approximately 25% of its territory as of mid-2025.
European nations like Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have also withdrawn from the treaty, citing the need to protect their eastern borders from Russian aggression. They plan to produce and use land mines quickly if necessary. However, experts warn that modern anti-personnel mines with smart technologies make mine clearance more difficult, as they remain in civilian-occupied areas and disproportionately injure them.
The Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor also notes that while previous conflicts' mines are being cleared, new land mines are being laid in Ukraine and other countries like Myanmar. This comes at a time when humanitarian arms control, including the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, faces the potential loss of major treaties.
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