Finland army to resume use of anti-personnel mines in January 2026
Finnish army to return to the use of anti-personnel mines in January 2026 (photo: Getty Images)
Starting in January 2026, the Finnish army plans to return to the use of anti-personnel mines, which were removed from service in 2012 in accordance with the Ottawa Treaty, said Inspector of the Finnish Army's Engineer Corps Colonel Riku Mikkonen, as reported by Yle.
"Starting in January next year, we will begin developing measures to ensure the fastest possible use of anti-personnel mines to supplement our defense system," said Mikkonen.
According to him, this is due to the fact that the decision on Finland's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines will take effect on January 10, 2026.
"After that, we will have the opportunity to use part of our current equipment," Mikkonen added.
At the same time, the possibility of acquiring more advanced mines at a later stage is being studied, for example, those that would be long-range or remotely controlled and equipped with various sensors.
Until 2012, when Finland joined the Ottawa Convention, it had about one million simple anti-personnel mines at its disposal. Now the army plans to reach the same level.
Ottawa Convention
The Ottawa Convention was signed in 1997. Its goal is the complete elimination of anti-personnel mines through an international ban on their use, which was intended to reduce civilian casualties. The countries that signed the document committed themselves not to use, produce, or transfer such mines.
Currently, the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention has already been approved by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Poland, citing the growing military threat from Russia.
In July, Finland notified the United Nations (UN) of its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
On July 11, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a draft law allowing the official suspension of the convention banning the use of anti-personnel mines (Ottawa Convention). The corresponding decree on withdrawal from the convention was signed at the end of June by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
