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Poland withdraws from treaty banning antipersonnel mines and will use them to defend against Russia
Poland will produce and stockpile antipersonnel and anti-tank mines to deter Russian aggression as part of its Eastern Shield defense, citing a realistic threat and aiming for self-sufficiency.
- On Friday, Poland formally withdrew from the Ottawa Convention and said it will use antipersonnel and anti-tank mines to defend its eastern border against Russia.
- Regional moves after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted treaty reassessment, and last year Warsaw joined Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine in announcing plans to leave.
- Poland aims for self-sufficiency and plans domestic production with Polish producers, while preparing mine stockpiles as part of Eastern Shield and Prime Minister Donald Tusk showcased the Bluszcz vehicle on Thursday.
- By reversing the 2016 destruction of its stockpile, Poland announced plans to renew mine manufacturing as human rights groups condemned the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
- Authorities say mines will be held in reserve and used only if a realistic threat emerges, and Poland emphasized anti-tank mines are not forbidden by the Ottawa Convention and highlighted the Bluszcz unmanned vehicle.
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64 Articles
Following its announcement last year, Poland has now left the Ottawa Convention, which obliges it to abandon landmines. Poland is now considering mines on the borders with Russia and Belarus.
Poland withdraws from treaty banning antipersonnel mines, will use them to defend against Russia
Poland, which ratified the document in 2012 and completed the destruction of its domestic anti-personnel mine stockpile in 2016, withdrew from the treaty on February 20, 2026 and says it plans to renew manufacturing weapons
Warsaw will now use these mines to defend its eastern border in the face of Russia's growing threat.
The Polish government is withdrawing from the Ottawa Conventions in response to the threat of a Russian attack. The news is in the blog.
Poland formally withdraws from Ottawa Convention on landmines, citing Russian threat
Poland will use anti-personnel as well as anti-tank landmines to defend its eastern border against the growing threat from Russia, Poland's deputy defence minister told The Associated Press on Friday, as the country officially left an international convention banning use of the controversial weapons.
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