- Amnesty International accuses Russia of launching them against the inhabitants of Kharkiv.
- The Geneva Conventions prohibit attacking civilians and these mines end up being anti-personnel mines.
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| A person looks at a hole after shelling in Kharkiv on March 22. / EFE |
Amnesty International (AI) denounced on Monday that Russia killed hundreds of civilians in Kharkiv using prohibited weapons. The organization claims that Russian troops indiscriminately bombed residential neighborhoods in this Ukrainian city.
In his report Anyone can die at any time, he mentions the indiscriminate use by Russia of prohibited weapons such as cluster bombs, as well as dispersible mines, all of which are prohibited by international treaties.
A cluster bomb is made up of a hollow projectile that opens up upon launch and releases smaller bombs, or submunitions, during its pre-impact trajectory, as defined by the UN. The Convention on Cluster Munitions, in force since August 2010, prohibits under any circumstances the use, development, production, acquisition, storage, and transfer of this type of munitions.
They combine the worst possible attributes of cluster munitions and landmines."
They end up being antipersonnel mines
Like cluster bombs, dispersible mines are also prohibited by international treaties. They are, according to some interpretations of international law, because in practice these mines end up becoming antipersonnel mines.
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| Anti-personnel mines were deactivated on the outskirts of Kharkiv. / EFE |
The United States used them for the last time during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Years later, in 1997, these types of mines were banned when they were included in the international treaty against anti-personnel mines, which was signed by 164 nations, including Ukraine, but not by the US or Russia.
"These weapons combine the worst possible attributes of cluster munitions and landmines. Any of these indiscriminate attacks are illegal and they are being carried out repeatedly," Amnesty International's weapons researcher Brian Castner told The New York Times.
Dispersible mines are ground ammunition with a timer. In the Ukraine war, they have turned up at least in Bezruky and elsewhere on the outskirts of Kharkiv. They are supposed to destroy tanks, but – finally – also to kill people.
Any of these indiscriminate attacks are illegal and they are being carried out repeatedly."
Artillery rockets are launched first, up to 20 miles away. These eject the dispersible mines: green tubes the size of a liter bottle, filled with half a kilo of explosives. Once on land, they explode later at intervals of between 2 and 24 hours.
Civilians attacked in areas without military targets
Something similar occurs with some anti-vehicle mines, such as the Russian PTM-1S. They have sensitive detonators that can cause them to explode when people pick them up, so they can be considered anti-personnel mines.
The NYT reported in April, as Amnesty International does now, that Russian practices violate the Geneva Conventions —which prohibit intentional attacks against civilians— because the rockets carrying the mines were fired at areas occupied by civilians and without military targets.
Russian forces must be held accountable for their actions, and the victims and their families must receive full reparation."
The use of this type of weapon shows Russia's "absolute disregard" for the lives of civilians. This is what Donatella Rovera, AI's general adviser on crisis response, assures: "The Russian forces responsible for these terrible attacks must be held accountable for their actions, and the victims and their families must receive full reparation."
Amnesty recalls that Russia is subject to international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks, even though it has not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions or the Convention on the Ban on Anti-Personnel Mine.