Ukraine war
Baerbock calls on Russia to stop using mines
“Anti-personnel mines are cruel weapons. They are the reason why mothers and fathers […] decades after a conflict, they still have to worry about their children every time they go outside to play,” says Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). Photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Landmines are banned internationally – Russia uses the weapons, which are often only the size of the palm of the hand, in its war of aggression against Ukraine. The victims are mostly civilians.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has called on Russia to stop mining agricultural land in Ukraine. The mines not only result in many civilian casualties, but also prevent numerous farmers from tilling their fields and bringing in the harvest, said Baerbock, according to a statement from the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. “In this way, Russia is reducing the supply of food on the world market, thereby increasing hunger in the world.”
Baerbock spoke on the occasion of the International Day of Mine Awareness this Tuesday. “Anti-personnel mines are cruel weapons. They are the reason why mothers and fathers in countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia and Iraq still have to worry for their children every time they go outside to play, decades after a conflict,” she said.
According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) last fall, Russia has used at least seven different types of internationally banned landmines in Ukraine. Landmines are often only the size of the palm of your hand and can be spread over large areas from the ground or from the air with rockets. They lie in the ground and explode when someone approaches or steps on them. Most of the victims are civilians.
In 1999, the so-called Ottawa Convention came into force, which is dedicated to combating landmines. The international treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of landmines. However, important states such as the USA, Russia, China and India have not joined the treaty.