Poland officially exited the international treaty banning landmines on Friday and announced it will deploy both anti-personnel and anti-tank mines along its eastern borders, citing an escalating threat from Russia. The move marks a significant shift in Poland’s defense strategy and comes as several neighboring nations reassess their participation in the 1997 Ottawa Convention, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty.
The decision, confirmed by Poland’s deputy defense minister, Paweł Zalewski, reflects growing anxieties over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and a perceived increase in aggressive intent towards NATO’s eastern flank. “These mines are one of the most important elements of the defense structure we are constructing on the eastern flank of NATO, in Poland, on the border with Russia in the north and with Belarus in the east,” Zalewski stated to The Associated Press.
Poland ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2012 and completed the destruction of its anti-personnel mine stockpile in 2016. Yet, officials now argue that the geopolitical landscape has fundamentally changed, necessitating a reevaluation of its defense capabilities. The country intends to resume domestic production of both types of landmines, collaborating with Polish manufacturers to achieve self-sufficiency, according to Zalewski.
The Ottawa Convention prohibits signatories from possessing or using anti-personnel mines, which are notorious for their indiscriminate impact and long-lasting danger to civilians. Anti-tank mines, designed to target vehicles and not triggered by human weight, are not covered by the treaty’s restrictions.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted Poland’s accelerating preparations for border defense on Thursday, following a demonstration of the Bluszcz system – an unmanned vehicle produced by Belma S.A. And a military research institute, capable of deploying anti-tank mines. Tusk stated that Poland would be able to mine its eastern borders within 48 hours if a threat materialized. Zalewski indicated that a “lot” of landmines will be required, given the extensive length of Poland’s borders with Russia and Belarus.
The deployment of landmines is intended as part of Poland’s broader “Eastern Shield” initiative, a fortification system initiated in 2024 to bolster defenses along its eastern borders. However, Zalewski emphasized that the mines would only be deployed in response to a “realistic threat of Russian aggression,” and that the government respects its territory and does not intend to disrupt civilian life.
The move has drawn criticism from human rights groups, who maintain that anti-personnel mines pose an unacceptable risk to civilians. Zalewski countered that Poland is balancing security concerns with humanitarian considerations by keeping the mines in reserve for defensive purposes only. “We are not an aggressive country,” he said, “but we have to use all means to deter Russia.”
Poland joins Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine in withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention in recent years, signaling a growing trend among nations bordering Russia to reassess their security postures. Russia, along with the United States, has never been a signatory to the treaty.
