Ukrainian army to use antipersonnel mines provided by US on frontlines in Ukraine - Pentagon
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh (photo: flickr.com)
The Ukrainian Armed Forces plan to use American anti-personnel mines, which Washington has decided to provide to Kyiv as part of defense assistance, only within Ukrainian territory, states Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.
In response to questions regarding the use of such weapons by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield, Sabrina Singh stated that the Ukrainian forces have given us assurances that they intend to use them only in Ukraine.
"We are providing different variants of the type of mines. I'm just not going to get into more details than that," Singh said.
The Pentagon's deputy spokesperson added that it is important to note that the reason the US is providing anti-personnel mines to Ukraine is because the battlefield and the nature of the fight have changed in the context of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and Washington is responding by providing this assistance to the Ukrainian military.
"Russia has changed its tactics. So, they're not leading with their mechanized forces," Singh explained.
US transfer of antipersonnel mines to Ukraine
Recently, The Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden authorized the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.
This decision followed a recent approval by the White House, which allowed Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles provided by the US against Russian territory.
According to a US official speaking with the Washington Post, the use of the mines will be restricted to Ukrainian territory, with expectations that they will be deployed in the eastern part of the country.
Following this, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that the US will send anti-personnel mines to Ukraine. He explained that this decision is linked to the change in tactics by Russian forces.
