Biden has approved the transfer of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.

According to their statements, the U.S. presidential administration has taken this step to strengthen the defense of Ukrainian forces, as the White House is extremely concerned about the recent advances of the Russian army on Ukrainian positions at the front and sees an urgent need to slow down the offensive of Russian troops. Along with other supplied munitions, the mines "will contribute to a more effective defense," one source told the publication.

The use of these munitions is restricted to Ukrainian territory, noted one of the interlocutors. Additionally, the U.S. will provide Ukraine with "non-persistent" mines, which self-destruct over time or lose battery charge, becoming inactive, thereby reducing the threat to civilians, he pointed out. The article does not specify the number of mines or the timeline for their delivery.

Previously, the Biden administration had refused to supply anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, believing that the risk to civilians was very high.

The transfer of mines has been condemned by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch. "This is a shocking and devastating development," stated the organization's representative, Mary Wareham. She emphasized that even inactive mines pose a danger to civilians.

A U.S. Department of Defense representative confirmed in a conversation with the Russian news agency TASS that the Biden administration has approved the use of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine.

The U.S. has also promised to support demining efforts in Ukraine after the conflict ends, notes The Washington Post.

• Ukraine is a participant in the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, which was signed by 164 countries in 1997. Russia, the U.S., China, and India have not joined the treaty. Participating states have committed never to use, develop, produce, or transfer anti-personnel mines, as well as to destroy all existing stockpiles.
• In 2022, Ukraine used "Lepestok" anti-personnel mines against Russian troops that invaded its territory. Russian forces also widely employ anti-personnel mines at the front.
• Anti-personnel mines detonate upon contact with or proximity to a person. Unexploded mines continue to maim and kill people even after the end of the military conflict.