Biden approves supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine – Washington Post

President Joe Biden has approved the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine just days after lifting the ban on long-range ATACMS missile strikes on Russian territory, The Washington Post reported, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.

Sources told journalists that the decision was justified by the "pressing need to blunt [Russia's] advance in the east."

The anti-personnel mines are planned to be used exclusively on territory recognized by the United States as Ukrainian.

This move contradicts the Biden administration's 2022 policy, which significantly restricted the use of anti-personnel mines, effectively banning their use outside the Korean Peninsula.

Notably, Biden, as a presidential candidate, sharply criticized Donald Trump for lifting restrictions on the use of these mines, calling the decision reckless.

Russian forces have been using anti-personnel mines in Ukraine since late March 2022, as reported by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch.

On March 27, 2024, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that Russian troops are remotely mining Ukrainian land with aerial fragmentation bombs. These bombs resemble small silver-colored balls, which can attract children's attention.

On October 3, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported that the aggressor had started newly disguising PFM-1 "Butterfly" anti-personnel mines, making them less visible.