The Verkhovna Rada approved death underfoot: Ukraine lifted the ban on anti-personnel mines

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved the controversial decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines.

This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak on his Telegram channel.

Effectively, this decision gives Ukraine free rein to return to the barbaric practice of using weapons that cause mass civilian casualties. Despite the humanitarian risks, the bill was supported by 299 out of 305 deputies, with all present voting for its immediate signing.

Recall that earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky had approved Ukraine’s withdrawal from the international agreement, which for many years was considered one of the pillars of humane arms limitations globally. Now, Kyiv has officially opted for a strategy associated with unpredictable consequences for civilians.

It is also worth noting that the Baltic states — Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania — had previously taken similar steps. However, many human rights organizations are already warning that renouncing international obligations to ban anti-personnel mines could lead to increased suffering among civilians and the de facto legalization of warfare methods that the international community has opposed for decades.