Landmines could soon return to Polish soil, following Warsaw's decision to pull out of an international treaty banning their production and use. The government says the move is needed to strengthen Poland's borders with Russia and Belarus.
Poland on Friday formally withdrew from the Ottawa Treaty, an international convention that bans anti-personnel landmines, paving the way for their deployment along its eastern borders.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country aimed to be able to mine its borders within 48 hours in the event of a threat.
Poland plans to deploy the devices to fortify the roughly 800 kilometres of border it shares with Russia and Belarus. The move is aimed at protecting Europe and NATO from a potential invasion on the alliance’s eastern flank.
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Sixth country to withdraw
The Polish government has indicated it wants to produce its own landmines.
“The situation forces us to act,” said Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, arguing that Poland and its neighbours should not be constrained by international conventions that undermine their defence policies.
“Today, the role of politicians is to break the shackles that have been imposed on the military, and that is what we are doing.”
Polish authorities have not ruled out exporting landmines to its allies. Latvia – which withdrew from the Ottawa Treaty last year – has already expressed interest.
Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine have also pulled out of the convention within the past 12 months.
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Humanitarian concerns
Poland's decision has drawn criticism from rights groups. Julia Glebocka, an analyst at Amnesty International in Warsaw, says landmines are disproportionately harmful to civilians, with 85 percent of victims typically non-combatants.
Glebocka also questions the military value of such weapons in a potential conflict between Poland and Russia.
"According to experts, if war were to break out between Poland and Russia, it would take the form of hybrid warfare involving drones," she noted.
"That means these mines would be useless on the battlefield. And they will continue to pose a threat to residents of border regions for years and decades to come."
This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI correspondent Adrien Sarlat.
