Finland considers return to banned mines amid security shifts
Finland is among the best-prepared European countries for armed conflict, shaped by decades of neutrality. Now, voices in Finland are advocating for a return to banned weaponry due to Russian tactics in Ukraine.
2:33 PM EST, November 29, 2024
Having recently joined NATO, Finland boasts a well-developed defense infrastructure both in terms of armed forces and civil defense. As Janne Jaakkola, the Finnish Defense Forces commander, stated to the portal MTV, observing the Russian tactics of mass infantry assaults, Finland should discuss anti-personnel mines.
Similar to over 100 other countries, Finland signed and ratified the Ottawa Treaty in 2012, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines, and mandates the destruction of existing stockpiles.
Janne Jaakkola commented that the security environment is now drastically different from when Finland joined the convention banning anti-personnel mines. However, he notes that any decision in this regard belongs to the government.
Anti-personnel mines — an effective and inexpensive method of securing the front line
The Ottawa Treaty essentially bans the use of all anti-personnel mines except those that can be remotely detonated via a radio signal. This presents a significant issue because such requirements greatly increase the cost, and to be effective, mines need to be numerous and inexpensive.
For this reason, the norm was various pressure or tripwire fuses, such as a thin fiber optic cable attached to a tree by a path. The downside of these solutions was that they remained active for decades after a war, posing a huge threat to civilians.
A classic pressure mine contains about a few ounces of explosive material, but there are also mines that rise into the air upon activation of the fuse. These are mostly variations of the German WWII "S-mine," containing several ounces of explosive material inside a steel casing, with an effective range of up to 100 feet.
Over time, particularly in the category of scatterable mines, such as those deployed by rocket launcher systems, simple self-destruct mechanisms were introduced to force self-destruction 48 hours after arming. However, these solutions are not always reliable.
Anti-personnel mines — allowing defense of terrain with much smaller forces
A prepared minefield, especially when under the supervision of even small teams armed with anti-tank guided missile launchers, snipers, or machine guns and mortars coordinating with drones, is an extremely challenging obstacle to overcome, even in the face of significant numerical superiority.
A good example of the effectiveness of mines is the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region. Attacking under such conditions with only specialized vehicles, which then become priority targets, is practically impossible. For this reason, the norm in military tactics is to bypass minefields whenever possible.
