Russia Pockets Ukrainian Evidence Repeatedly Using Anti-personnel Landmines

JAKARTA - Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had evidence Ukraine had repeatedly used anti-personnel landmines that had injured civilians.

Therefore, Russia considers Kyiv's exit from the Ottawa Convention will not have an impact on the battlefield.

Ukraine last month announced it was withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention which prohibits the production and use of anti-personnel landmines. Ukraine says this step is necessary given the Russian tactics in their war that have lasted for 40 months.

Russia is not a party to the agreement, and Ukraine says Russia has used landmines extensively in the war.

"The use of anti-personnel mines by the Kyiv regime of civilians is routinely recorded by our law enforcement agencies," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"Ukraine's decision to withdraw from the mechanism is in line with the general steps of Western and its satellite countries to revise and weaken international legal systems in the fields of arms control, weapons depletion, and non-proliferation," he continued.

Zakharova noted that based on text, the withdrawal from the convention based on the Ottawa Agreement as long as the armed conflict should not have been in effect before the end of the armed conflict.

"The decision to withdraw from the convention comes into effect only after the end of the armed conflict," said Zakharova.

"We continue from the fact that this provision is fully applicable to the withdrawal process launched by Ukraine from this mechanism. At the same time, the Convention's obligations were not fulfilled by Kyiv even before the decision," he continued.

Russia stressed Ukraine had been required to destroy all supply of anti-personnel mines by 2010 but did not.

Lithuania and Finland appear to be starting production of domestic anti-personnel landmines next year to supply themselves and Ukraine because of what they see as military threats from Russia, officials from the two NATO member states told Reuters.

The two countries, bordering Russia, have announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention which prohibits the use of the mine, and officials say production can be launched after a six-month withdrawal process is complete.

Russia dismissed claims they would attack NATO members and called it the "empty" Russophobia spread by European powers in an attempt to convince their residents to accept soaring defense budgets.