Russia’s war of aggression: Landmine report: Number of victims in Ukraine increased tenfold

In Ukraine, ten times as many people have died or been injured by landmines and explosive remnants of the war as a result of Russia’s war of aggression in 2022 than in the previous year. There were a good 600 documented cases there in 2022, as reported by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in Geneva. Worldwide, the number of reported victims fell from 5,544 to 4,710. Of these, 1,700 died and the others were injured. The number fell particularly in Afghanistan. But this is mainly due to the fact that hardly any data is collected there anymore, it was said.

Landmines are laid to stop the advance of enemy forces. They explode when touched. However, the small parts often remain in the ground for decades as live ammunition. 85 percent of the victims are children playing and other civilians who later accidentally step on them on roads or in fields. The Ottawa Treaty has banned landmines since 1999. 164 countries belong to it.

Russia, USA and China not in the Ottawa Treaty

Russia has laid landmines in eleven of Ukraine’s 27 regions since the invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022, according to the ICBL landmine report. But Ukraine also used the weapon at least once – in Izjum in the Kharkiv area, when the area was under Russian control. There were at least eleven victims there. Unlike Russia, Ukraine is a signatory state and is the only one of the 164 countries to have violated the provisions. Russia has not joined the treaty, nor have the USA and China.

Only in Syria were more people killed or injured by landmines than in Ukraine in 2022: a total of 834, the report says. 60 countries are still contaminated with landmines. The campaign (ICBL), a network of more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations in around 100 countries, is calling for more demining. The ICBL was the driving force behind the Ottawa Treaty. For this she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.