Donetsk, Aug 1 — DAN. Ukrainian army violates international law by scattering butterfly mines, the Chairman of the DPR People’s Council Vladimir Bidyovka said.
“The actions of Ukrainian authorities and armed formations blatantly violate international laws, being in fact acts of terrorism against civilian population,” he said.
According to Bidyovka, scattering PMF-1 butterfly mines, known as “petal” mines in Russian-speaking countries, amounts to a war crime and must be reviewed by a military tribunal.
The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices as amended on 3 May 1996 (Amended Protocol II) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons bans the use of remotely-delivered mines unless, to the extent feasible, they are equipped with an effective self-destruction or self-neutralization mechanism, which PMF-1 mines do not have.
The PMF-1 butterfly mines were decommissioned in Russia in compliance with the Protocol. In Ukraine, though, such mines remain.
“The country (Ukraine) has also failed to comply with the Ottawa Treaty that stipulates destruction of PMF-1 mines as well as certain other types of mines as scattering remotely-delivered mines in populated areas is recognized as an indiscriminate use of weapons,” he said.
Earlier, a number of Donetsk residents sustained blast injures after triggering butterfly mines remotely delivered by a Ukrainian MLRS Grad.
More mines were discovered later in other populated areas.
PFM-1 is a scatterable anti-personnel land mine of Soviet and Russian production. It is also known as a Green Parrot or Butterfly Mine. As a mine made of plastic, it is primarily aimed at the civilian population, it is intended not to kill but to maim.
Some modifications are equipped with a self-destruction mechanism initiated after 1-40 hours from the moment of planting. The timing depends on the air temperature.
If an adult triggers such a mine, he will most probably be maimed. Children and animals are unlike to survive the encounter with a PFM-1. *ot