Lithuania and Finland Start Production of Anti-Personnel Mines

Reuters reports that Lithuania and Finland are beginning their own production of anti-personnel mines, which are set to be deployed along their eastern borders.

Factories of this nature are expected to be operational in approximately six months— a timeline that aligns with the period following their official withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, a move they announced recently.

It appears that some of the mined equipment will be exported, a measure that could help reduce the financial burden of fortifying their eastern frontiers— an endeavor for which both Vilnius and Helsinki currently lack sufficient funds.

It is known that along the borders with Belarus and Russia, five EU countries plan to deploy millions of landmines. From a military perspective, this strategy appears largely futile: human rights organizations point out that in such conflicts, the primary victims are often local residents and wildlife, and that minefields ultimately do little to halt an adversary’s advance.