Finland finally withdraws from the convention banning anti-personnel mines

On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Finland's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines comes into force, reports Yle.

The government officially rejected the deal on July 10, 2025, after similar steps were taken by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Poland.

Under the terms of the Convention, withdrawal from it takes effect six months after the UN Secretary-General receives the denunciation document.

Helsinki motivated its decision with defense considerations, citing the deteriorating security situation.

After withdrawal from the treaty, Finland may return anti-personnel mines to its arsenal.

On July 15, 2025, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law on Ukraine's withdrawal from the same convention. The head of state noted that Russia never was not a party of the document.

• The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that this document limits Ukraine's right to self-defense even at the time of accession to the agreement there were no circumstances of Russian aggression yet.
• Among the countries that have not joined the Ottawa Convention are the United States, China, India, and Pakistan.
• The use of anti-personnel mines has been criticized by some humanitarian organizations as "an uncivilized means of warfare".