There are many such stories.. Children are maimed by mines disguised as toys. Farmers die in an unmarked minefield while harvesting, years after the end of the war. Such episodes led to the 1997 Ottawa Agreement banning the use of unguided anti-personnel mines..

To date, 164 countries, including Ukraine and most NATO countries, have acceded to the agreement, which is the result of the efforts of the International Movement to Ban Anti-Personnel Mine. Movement founder Jody Williams wins Nobel Peace Prize. The restrictions imposed by the document are dictated by good intentions. But they ignore the legitimate military need for anti-personnel mines to help Ukraine deter future Russian incursions.. Colonel of the US Marine Corps John Barranco writes about this on the pages of the Atlantic Council..

He points to the example of South Korea not signing the Ottawa Accord.. Anti-personnel mines have become one of the important components of the Korean defense. For 70 years, the country has been defending itself against another North Korean invasion with the help of minefields crossing the peninsula.. This helped solidify South Korea's independence and build a multi-party democracy with a strong economy..

As with any weapon, the misuse of mines can harm civilians.. But unlike all sorts of offensive systems that no one forbids, provided that anti-personnel mines are used correctly, these are defensive weapons. Marked, fenced minefields under close supervision threaten only the invader. This is a passive tool that cannot be used to put pressure on a neighboring country (which cannot be said about fighters, tanks and long-range artillery).

Therefore, Ukraine must immediately withdraw from the Ottawa agreement.. This will allow it to start using anti-personnel mines responsibly as part of the integrated defense of its borders with Russia to repel the current invasion and deter potential attacks in the future.. Kyiv will still be restricted by the 1980 UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which prohibits the deliberate use of mines against civilians, as well as the use of mines outside of marked minefields under close supervision. Unlike the Ottawa Agreement, the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons has been ratified by the US and South Korea.. Her demands are military-wise and humane..

Good fences guarantee a good neighborhood.

There is already momentum for such a step in another front-line country. In fact, it was the Russian invasion of Ukraine that provoked a public initiative in Finland, which requires the parliament to reconsider the country's participation in the Ottawa agreement.. Helsinki ratified the document in 2011.

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A political split emerged. The ruling coalition of five political parties is in favor of maintaining participation in the agreement. At this time, four opposition parties are demanding an exit from it.. In any case, Finland announced its intention to join NATO. Therefore, the alliance's commitment to common defense could take the issue of anti-personnel mines off the agenda..

But Ukraine, whose accession to NATO is unlikely to take place anytime soon, cannot afford that luxury.. The country needs more lethal measures to deter Russian aggression, especially after failing to fortify its long border with Russia with anti-tank ditches, fences and other obstacles even before the invasion in February.. What would a reasonable mine policy look like for Ukraine

If the Ukrainian army can successfully drive out Russian forces in the current war, plans to build a wall on the border must still be implemented.. Perhaps this will happen as part of international assistance for the restoration of Ukraine. But this wall must also be supplemented with anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.. To comply with the terms of the UN Convention, care must be taken to ensure the maximum safety of civilians.. Ukrainian minefields to be fenced off both Ukrainian and Russian sides with clear warnings in local languages. At the same time, it is necessary to establish round-the-clock electronic surveillance, supplemented by frequent patrols..

The Ukrainian authorities should conduct a detailed topographical analysis of the territories, and then consult with the military command to decide how to deploy minefields: create a continuous barrier along the entire border or focus on critical areas where the enemy could potentially take the offensive. The main thing is to trust the experts. Ukrainian military command proved its courage. And the government should listen to his opinion.

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Are minefields this size possible Morocco can already answer this question. The so-called Moroccan Wall was built in the 1980s, shortly after the annexation of neighboring Western Sahara.. The goal was to contain the Sahrawis and their independence movement. The length of the Moroccan Wall is 2500 kilometers. In fact, this is the longest minefield in the world..

Right now.

In February, when Russia had just begun its invasion of Ukraine, a spring thaw made the territory impassable to armored vehicles, forcing Russian troops to move exclusively in columns along the main roads.. And it made them vulnerable.

The Russian army was overconfident and believed it could win quickly, despite the fact that its multiple axes of advance did not actually support each other.. The Kremlin is unlikely to make such a mistake again. In the event of any attempt to attack Ukraine in the future, Russia will try to do so with more troops.. In doing so, she will avoid narrow roads.. But Ukraine, through the prudent and responsible use of anti-personnel mines, could make such a Russian offensive unacceptably lethal..