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Landmines laid in the Donetsk region by the Ukrainian military. Photo/Alexey Kulemzin/Telegram
The news was revealed by the Mayor of Aleksey Kulemzin. The mayor wrote on his Telegram channel that mines were found on several roads in the northwestern part of the city.
“Bomb disposal and rescue teams have been working at the site since morning. One vehicle equipped with a loudspeaker warns local residents,” said Kulemzin, urging the public to be vigilant and not to approach mines.
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The small butterfly-shaped PFM-1 landmine is banned under the 1997 Ottawa Convention, of which Ukraine is a party.
Even when mines don’t kill the victim when stepped on, they often tear the person’s legs apart.
Earlier, the authorities of the Lugansk People’s Republic reported finding PFM-1s in places left by Ukrainian troops after retreating.
Both Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of using internationally banned munitions, as well as shelling residential areas and other civilian targets.
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Russia sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreement, which was designed to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The protocol, brokered by Germany and France, was first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since acknowledged Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create a strong armed force.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republic as an independent state and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that would never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian attack was completely unwarranted.
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