Landmines Make a Return: Five European Nations Break Away from Global Accord

A Shift in the Shadow of War

For over two decades, the world has worked towards banning and eliminating the use of antipersonnel mines — weapons notorious for maiming and killing indiscriminately, affecting both civilians and soldiers.

However, now five EU countries — Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — have opted to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, the 1997 international treaty that bans these very weapons.

The reason is clear: Russia. These countries, all of which share a border with the large neighbor to the east, justify their decision with a deteriorated security situation and a need for “flexibility” in their military defense.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo made it plain according to CNN: “With Russia’s threat to Europe in the background, the withdrawal allows us to better prepare for the security landscape of the future.”

Farewell to Idealism

The Ottawa Convention was once hailed as a step towards more humane warfare.

The weapons were banned not only for their destructive effect but because they continue to injure long after the conflict has ended.

Today, 165 countries are party to the agreement, but now a handful of its most geopolitically vulnerable members have chosen to move in the opposite direction.

NGOs and human rights organizations have reacted with outrage. Amnesty International has called Finland’s withdrawal “a troubling step backward,” and Humanity & Inclusion’s Alma Taslidžan, who grew up in mine-filled Bosnia, stated: “We are surprised that such technologically advanced armies would use a weapon that cannot distinguish between a soldier’s foot and a child’s foot.”

Military Logic Versus Humanitarian Principles

From a military perspective, the arguments are familiar.

Landmines can delay, divert or prevent enemy attacks — a tactical advantage for smaller nations facing a superior adversary.

But the question is not only how effective a weapon is — but how it is used. Finland and the Baltic countries insist that they will manage mines with “humanitarian responsibility,” including mapping and subsequent clearing. Whether this will mitigate the damage is, however, debated.

When the Danger is Invisible

Those who have witnessed the consequences of mines up close know that the problem does not disappear when the war does. In Ukraine — today the world’s most mined country — it is estimated that 174,000 square kilometers are covered with mines and explosives.

People return to their hometowns only to live in fear of what lies beneath the ground.

A Step Backward — or Just in Another Direction?

Landmines have returned as a tool in European defense strategy. Whether this is a necessary adjustment or a catastrophic misjudgment depends on the future — and perhaps whether civil society and international pressure can persuade the five countries to reconsider if the gains outweigh the risks.

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