The United States has transferred anti-personnel mines to Ukraine

3 December, 2024 Warning about mined territory. Photo: Suspilne The United States has announced a new £725 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes HIMARS ammunition and anti-personnel mines.

The US Department of Defense stated this in a press release. This assistance is provided under the Presidential Decision for Arms Reduction (PDA) and comes directly from the U.S. Department of Defense's warehouses, which allows it to meet urgent needs.

The aid will include the following items:

  • Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
  • Stinger missiles;
  • Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions;
  • Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
  • 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition;
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
  • Non-persistent land mines;
  • Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles;
  • Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
  • Small arms and ammunition;
  • Demolitions equipment and munitions;
  • Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure; and
  • Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.

In total, since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, as of December 2, 2024, the United States has allocated about £61.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

M14 high-explosive anti-personnel mines. Photo from open sources

The Biden administration's plans to provide Ukraine with anti-personnel mines with a self-destruct system were first reported on November 20, 2024. The Washington Post reported on it at the time, citing two unnamed officials.

As explained by the newspaper's sources, the White House is concerned about the intensification of offensive actions by Russian invasion forces at the front in recent months and considers it necessary to assist Ukraine in stopping this advance. At the same time, the US military believes that providing anti-personnel mines is one of the most effective steps to slow down the Russian offensive. According to the source, the use of mines will be limited to Ukrainian territory with an expected focus on its eastern part.

At the same time, the sources noted that the Ukrainian side has committed not to lay mines in densely populated areas. The United States has previously provided Ukraine with another type of anti-personnel mine, the M18A1 Claymore. They can be placed on the ground or attached to poles, walls, etc.

Although there is no limit to the operational life of such mines and they do not have a self-destruct system, since they are supposed to be activated only manually remotely, this is considered acceptable.

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