What are anti-personnel mines and why is their use in Ukraine so controversial?
President Joe Biden's administration has approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time in another major policy shift.
The decision comes just days after the US gave Ukraine permission to fire long-range US missiles at targets in Russia.
The use of anti-personnel mines in conflicts has long been criticised by humanitarian groups because of the long term danger is causes for civilians.
They're banned by more than 150 countries under an international treaty.
So what are anti-personnel mines and why is their use controversial?
What are anti-personnel mines?
Anti-personnel mines are a type of landmine that is designed to be exploded by the presence or contact of a person, in order to injure or kill one or more persons, according to the Mine Action Review.
This is different to anti-tank mines, which are larger and built to destroy armoured vehicles.
The explosives are placed under the ground in order to conceal them.
Some mines are designed to have a time limit on them and become inactive after a set period of time.
However, other mines can remain active and dangerous for many years after the conflict has ended.
Why is this type of landmine so controversial?
Anti-personnel mines can leave a "long-lasting legacy of death, injury and suffering," according the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) website.
They can kill indiscriminately and can remain armed after the conflict.
Children are disproportionately affected by landmines and make up over a third of casualties, this year's Landmine Monitor report found.
Contamination from the mines can also make it impossible to use areas of land, impacting food production and livelihoods, according to the ICRC.
In 2023, the Landmine Monitor found that Ukraine had the second most landmine casualties in the world.
As of 2024, more civilian casualties were caused by anti-personnel mines compared to any other type of mine or explosives left after war, according to an international NGO working in Ukraine.
Diana, the Princess of Wales, was an activist against the production and use of landmines, and visited countries which were affected by them, such as Angola.
Why is the US comfortable in sending them to Ukraine?
US officials says the mines they send Ukraine will be "non-persistent", meaning they have an internal mechanism to shorten the lifespan of the trigger.
The mines are designed to become inert after a set period of time ranging from as little as four hours to two weeks, officials said.
They say the mines use an electrical fuse that requires a battery, and the mine becomes inert when the battery runs out.
The US intends for Kyiv to use the anti-personnel mines in the eastern part of the country, US officials said, where Russian troops have made slow and steady progress against Ukrainian defensive lines.
Ukraine has also made assurances they will try to limit the risk to civilians.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that the decision was motivated by Russia’s changing tactics on the frontlines.
Does Russia use anti-personnel mines?
Russia has used anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines since the start of the war.
As Russian forces advanced into Ukraine and established their own defensive lines, they established minefields to slow any Ukraine counterattack.
What international laws are there around their use?
The Ottawa Convention, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty, prohibits the use, stockpiling, producing and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
The treaty came into force in 1999 and, as of 2022, 164 countries - including the UK - have signed the treaty.
As a result of the convention, the United Nations said there has been a drastic reduction in the production and deployment of anti-personnel mines.
The United States, China, India, Pakistan and Russia are not members of the convention.
The US is the "world's largest financial contributor to mine action", according to the Mines Advisory Group.
In 2022, the US committed to aligning itself with the convention, with the aim of joining it eventually.
Ukraine is part of the Ottawa Convention, having signed it in 1999. As a result, they would be in breach of the treaty by using anti-personnel landmines.
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