President Joe Biden has approved the provision of anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine, a US official told Reuters, in a step that could help slow Russian advances in its east, especially when used with other munitions from the US.
The US expects Ukraine to use the mines in its own territory, though it has committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians, the official said.
The US has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines throughout its war with Russia, but the addition of anti-personnel mines aims to blunt the advance of Russian ground troops, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The office of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Russian defence ministry and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The US mines differ from Russia’s because they are “non-persistent”, becoming inert after a preset period, the official said. They require a battery to detonate, and will not explode once the battery runs out.
The move comes amid claims that some of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to Kursk by Russia’s military have already participated in battles there. A South Korean lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said on Wednesday that its spy agency was still trying to determine the exact number of North Korean troop casualties and whether any had surrendered amid conflicting information.
North Korea has also shipped additional arms for the war in Ukraine, including self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers, parliament intelligence committee member Park told reporters, citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
On Tuesday, Ukraine used US Atacms missiles to strike into Russian territory, taking advantage of newly granted permission from Biden’s outgoing administration on the war’s 1,000th day.
Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike on the same day in response to a broader range of conventional attacks.
Moscow said the use of Atacms, the longest-range missiles Washington has yet supplied to Ukraine, was a clear signal the West wanted to escalate the conflict.
The strike has also prompted renewed fears of a reprisal though hybrid warfare, a chaotic tool of conflict that muddies borders and broadens the scope of a frontline.
With Reuters