By Lara Kajs
Dispatches from the Field—The Genocide Report
Washington, DC—22 April 2025
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, civilians have faced escalating risks from landmines and cluster munitions. These weapons cause immediate casualties, long-term injuries, and impede recovery, while raising serious questions under international humanitarian law. Contaminated areas limit access to farmland, schools, and essential services, trapping communities in ongoing danger.
Civilian Impact of Explosive Remnants
On April 13, 2025, a missile strike on Sumy killed 34 civilians, including 15 children, and injured more than 100 others during church services and a public ceremony. Residents in vehicles, on streets, and in buildings were all affected. This tragic event highlights how both active munitions and residual landmines continue to threaten civilian populations across Ukraine.
Beyond immediate casualties, unexploded ordnance severely restricts daily life. Approximately 2 million people in eastern Ukraine live in heavily mined areas, facing threats to safety, livelihoods, and mobility. Contaminated land affects agriculture, delays reconstruction, and limits humanitarian access, prolonging the impact of conflict.
Landmines: Persistent and Hidden Dangers
Landmines remain a pervasive hazard, deployed by both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Anti-personnel mines such as the POM-3 “Medallion,” equipped with seismic sensors, are scatterable and can self-destruct 8–24 hours after deployment—but many fail to detonate as intended. Anti-vehicle and other landmines also pose ongoing threats to civilians, with areas remaining unsafe for years.
The Ottawa Treaty of 1997 bans the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of antipersonnel mines for signatory countries. Ukraine is a signatory; Russia is not. Regardless of legal status, these weapons create long-term humanitarian and socioeconomic challenges, from disrupted agriculture to inhibited access to essential services.
Cluster Munitions: Indiscriminate and Deadly
Cluster munitions disperse multiple submunitions over wide areas. Many fail to detonate on impact, leaving active explosives that endanger civilians long after deployment. Russian forces have used these munitions in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Vuhledar, causing casualties among children, families, and displaced populations.
Ukraine has also deployed cluster-delivered anti-personnel mines in limited areas. Nonetheless, the scale and frequency of Russian use have been far greater, amplifying civilian harm and long-term risk.
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty is an international agreement that aims to eliminate the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of antipersonnel landmines. Adopted in Ottawa, Canada, the agreement is also referred to as the Ottawa Treaty. The treaty represents a major humanitarian effort to reduce the harm caused by landmines, particularly to civilians in post-conflict areas. It obligates signatory countries to destroy existing stockpiles, clear mined areas, and assist victims of landmine explosions.
As of today, over 160 countries have joined the treaty, though some major military powers, including the US, Russia, and China, have not signed. The treaty has significantly contributed to a reduction in the global use of landmines and increased international awareness of their long-lasting impact.
International Response and Accountability
The use of both landmines and cluster munitions by Russian forces has drawn widespread condemnation from international organizations. While Ukraine has also used cluster munitions, the scale and impact of Russia’s use have been significantly greater. Both countries are urged to cease the use of these indiscriminate weapons to prevent further civilian casualties and suffering. NGOs have called for investigations into these actions as potential war crimes. The UN and other international bodies have urged Russia to comply with international humanitarian law.
Photo Credit: Tiahynika House of Culture after Russian bombing, 2024-01-17 by National Police of Ukraine. Licensed under CC BY 4.0
Atrocity Prevention Lens
The use of landmines and cluster munitions creates long-term threats to civilian populations. These weapons remain lethal long after active combat ends, impeding safe return, disrupting agriculture, and generating displacement. Effective atrocity prevention requires mapping contaminated areas, educating communities on the dangers of unexploded ordnance, and coordinating rapid clearance operations.
Monitoring attacks, tracking civilian casualties, and documenting incidents of landmine and cluster munition use are critical for preventing further harm. Early warning systems and transparent reporting by humanitarian organizations help communities avoid high-risk areas and inform advocacy to halt indiscriminate use.
Legal Framework
1997 Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty)
The treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. Signatories are required to clear contaminated areas and assist victims. Ukraine is a party to the treaty, while Russia is not.
2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions
This treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has ratified the convention, but its standards inform international expectations regarding civilian protection from indiscriminate weapons.
Customary International Humanitarian Law
Customary law binds all parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants and prohibits attacks causing disproportionate harm to civilians. The deployment of landmines and cluster munitions in populated areas violates these principles.
War Crimes and Accountability
Indiscriminate attacks that harm civilians may constitute war crimes. Enforcement relies on documentation, monitoring, and investigation by national and international judicial bodies. Legal accountability serves both justice and prevention, deterring future violations.
About TGR
The Genocide Report (TGR) publishes analysis and educational resources on conflict, international law, and atrocity prevention. Its work seeks to bridge academic research, field realities, and public understanding of mass violence and civilian protection.
About the Author
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, a Washington, DC-based educational nonprofit focused on atrocity prevention and international law. She is the author of several field-based books on conflict, displacement, humanitarian crises, and international humanitarian law, drawing on extensive research and field experience in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. Her writing and public speaking focus on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, the protection of civilians, and the legal frameworks governing armed conflict.