Ukraine has begun the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree putting into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on Ukraine's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, an international document that prohibits the production, use, and storage of anti-personnel mines. This was reported by People's Deputy Roman Kostenko.

According to Kostenko, such a step is necessary because the enemy is not a party to the Convention and does not adhere to the rules of warfare.

"This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this Convention and massively uses mines against our military and civilians. We cannot remain tied down in conditions where the enemy has no restrictions," wrote People's Deputy Roman Kostenko.

The decision now needs to be approved by the Verkhovna Rada, which will complete the legal process of withdrawal. It is expected that after this, the Ukrainian Defense Forces will be able to more effectively defend the territory of our country.

The Ottawa Convention was adopted in 1997 and entered into force on March 1, 1999. Ukraine signed it in February 1999, and the treaty was ratified in 2005.

Ukraine inherited about six million anti-personnel mines from the USSR. This was the fifth largest arsenal of such mines in the world (after China, Russia, the USA and Pakistan). The last Ukrainian anti-personnel mines were destroyed in 2003 as part of agreements with Canada.

By the way, in May the Lithuanian Seimas also decided to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Anti-Personnel Mines. In June, Estonia and Finland announced their withdrawal. The decision of these countries is due to a significant deterioration in the security situation, in particular due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.