The U.S. defense secretary announced on Wednesday that the Biden administration is granting permission to Ukraine to utilize antipersonnel land mines provided by the United States. This move aims to assist Ukraine in impeding Russia’s advancements on the battlefield. It comes as the second significant policy change within a week, following the decision to allow Ukraine to target sites on Russian territory using longer-range U.S.-made missiles.
What You Need To Know
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- The U.S. defense chief says the Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war.
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- It is Washington’s second major policy shift in a week after its decision to let Ukraine strike targets on Russian soil with U.S.-made missiles
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- The war, which reached its 1,000-day milestone on Tuesday, has largely been going Russia’s way in recent months
- Russia’s bigger army is slowly pushing Ukraine’s outnumbered army backward in the eastern Donetsk region, while Ukrainian civilians have repeatedly been clobbered by Russian drones and missiles often fired from inside Russia
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-
- The U.S. defense chief says the Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war.
-
-
-
- It is Washington’s second major policy shift in a week after its decision to let Ukraine strike targets on Russian soil with U.S.-made missiles
-
-
-
- The war, which reached its 1,000-day milestone on Tuesday, has largely been going Russia’s way in recent months
-
-
- Russia’s bigger army is slowly pushing Ukraine’s outnumbered army backward in the eastern Donetsk region, while Ukrainian civilians have repeatedly been clobbered by Russian drones and missiles often fired from inside Russia
The war, which celebrated its 1,000-day milestone on Tuesday, has seen a recent shift in favor of Russia. In the eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s larger army has been gradually pushing back Ukraine’s outnumbered forces. Additionally, Ukrainian civilians have been repeatedly targeted by Russian drones and missiles, frequently launched from within Russian territory.
Several Western embassies in Kyiv, including those of the United States, remained closed on Wednesday due to a credible threat of a significant Russian aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital.
According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the decision to alter the United States’ stance on antipersonnel land mines for Ukraine is a direct response to the evolving tactics employed by the Russians.
During a trip to Laos, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Ukraine requires equipment to impede the progress of Russian ground troops who are actively engaging on the battlefield, rather than relying solely on forces within armored carriers.
Charities and activists have long criticized antipersonnel land mines due to their lasting threat to civilians. However, Austin presented a counterargument.
“The land mines we aim to supply them with are non-persistent, meaning we have the ability to determine when they self-activate and self-detonate. This makes them much safer compared to the ones they currently produce,” explained Austin.
Russia has already employed land mines in Ukraine.
Nonpersistent land mines are designed in such a way that they require batteries for detonation. As time passes, these batteries gradually lose their power, rendering the land mines unable to explode. This built-in feature makes nonpersistent land mines significantly safer for innocent civilians compared to their long-lasting counterparts, which can remain lethal for many years.
According to Austin, Ukraine is currently producing its own antipersonnel land mines.
The U.S. currently supplies Ukraine with antitank land mines. In the ongoing conflict, Russia has consistently utilized land mines, which do not lose their effectiveness over time.
The international dimension of the war has expanded as North Korean troops have joined Russia on the battlefield. This development prompted a shift in Biden’s policy on longer-range missiles and has angered the Kremlin, according to U.S. officials.