World War II-Era Landmines Reappear in Ukraine

Russia is reportedly deploying PMD-6 anti-personnel mines, a weapon design dating back to the years before World War II, according to several sources.

Le Parisien reports that Ukrainian military specialists discovered the mines earlier this year on the front line in Ukraine’s Sumy region. The PMD-6 was originally introduced in the 1930s and was widely used during World War II before being phased out.

While the original version was made of wood, the modern variant reportedly uses durable molded plastic. The mine can be concealed beneath up to two kilograms of soil or camouflage material without accidental activation and contains a TNT charge weighing either 75 or 200 grams.

The reappearance of the PMD-6 highlights the continued use of older military technologies in the war in Ukraine.

Russia is not a signatory to the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans the production, stockpiling and use of anti-personnel mines.

According to Ukrainian authorities, mines and other explosive devices have caused hundreds of civilian casualties since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. More than 1,300 people have been injured and at least 380 killed.

Demining teams have meanwhile cleared hundreds of thousands of explosive devices from farmland, residential areas and critical infrastructure.

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