Russia ramps up use of deadly "Butterfly Mines" in conflict
Russians, and to a lesser extent, Ukrainians, are extensively using anti-personnel mines banned by the Ottawa Treaty. Additionally, they are enhancing the danger of these mines with upgrades to the PFM-1 butterfly mines. Here’s a closer look at why and how they are doing this.
It is important to note that Russia never signed the Ottawa Treaty, while Ukraine did on February 24, 1999, and ratified it on December 27, 2005. In hindsight, this appears to have been a mistake, as the disposed stockpiles of anti-personnel mines could have significantly bolstered Ukraine’s defensive capabilities against Russia. Currently, Ukrainians are producing improvised anti-personnel mines known as "Gingerbread," but these cannot replace stockpiles built over decades.
Russians do not face this issue, as they may still have some stockpiles from the Soviet era. The Russian standard for anti-personnel mines deployed by multiple rocket launcher systems are the PFM-1 mines. Currently, however, remote-controlled ground rovers or drones are also used to distribute them over areas.
PFM-1 mines are inherently difficult to detect. Russians have even started camouflaging them by covering them with soil and attaching leaves or forest undergrowth using materials like double-sided tape. Locating such mines, as seen in the pictures above, is nearly impossible.
PFM-1 mines - "Butterfly mines" from the East
Anti-personnel mines PFM-1, also known as "green parrot" in NATO codes and often called "butterfly mines," are a Soviet-era copy of American BLU-43 mines.
These are very small mines measuring about 5 inches in length, less than an inch in width, and about 2 inches in height, weighing 3 ounces, of which 1.3 ounces are liquid explosive material VS6-D or VS-60D. They are detonated by a pressure igniter MVDM/VGM-572, requiring only 11 pounds of pressure to activate. Over time, a PFM-1S mine with a built-in self-destruct mechanism was developed, intended to detonate 40 hours after being armed.
This is a very dangerous mine. While it won’t kill an adult human, it can cause the loss of a foot or leg. Such injuries necessitate the involvement of other soldiers to assist the wounded, adversely affecting morale and combat effectiveness.
