Helsinki/Vilnius: In a stark policy shift signaling growing unease over regional security, Finland and Lithuania have announced plans to manufacture anti-personnel landmines, citing escalating threats from neighboring Russia. This move aligns with a broader effort by several NATO allies in Eastern Europe to rearm strategically and rethink existing treaty obligations in light of Russia’s military posture and ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to Finnish and Lithuanian defense officials, both nations are initiating steps to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, an international agreement banning the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. The treaty requires a six-month withdrawal notice, after which countries are permitted to resume mine-related activities.
The Baltic region is witnessing a coordinated shift, with Poland, Latvia, and Estonia also indicating their intentions to exit the treaty. Among them, Poland has already unveiled plans for a new mine production facility slated to become operational by 2027. While Latvia and Estonia are still formalizing their strategies, all five countries point to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and its use of mines and scorched-earth tactics as justification for updating their own military doctrines.
Finnish Defence Committee Chairman Heikki Autto defended the move as a practical and cost-effective solution for national defense, calling landmines a critical tool to slow enemy advances and protect territorial integrity. He emphasized that such mines would be deployed only in wartime, with proper warnings and mapping to ensure post-conflict cleanup.
Another dimension of this policy shift is support for Ukraine, which itself withdrew from the Ottawa Treaty earlier this year. Finnish and Lithuanian officials stated that part of their production capacity will be dedicated to supplying Ukraine with defensive mine systems, especially as Russia’s invasion shows no sign of abating.
Lithuanian Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa noted that his country’s defense industry is ready to play a key role in this effort. "We have both the capacity and the will to help strengthen Ukraine’s defensive lines,” he said.
Despite the national security justifications, the decision has sparked strong criticism from humanitarian groups, arms control advocates, and some members of the international community. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines argue that the resurgence of anti-personnel mine production represents a dangerous rollback of decades of disarmament progress.
Critics warn that landmines, once deployed, can pose lethal threats to civilians years or even decades after conflict ends. Children, farmers, and displaced populations are particularly vulnerable. These groups argue that history has shown that minefields, even when intended for military use, often remain uncleared or poorly marked, causing long-term harm to communities.
The decisions by Finland, Lithuania, and others reflect a broader transformation in European defense policy, driven by growing fears of Russian expansionism. While NATO has not officially endorsed the reintroduction of landmine production among its members, it has expressed solidarity with the decisions of sovereign states seeking to protect their borders.
This development underscores how the war in Ukraine is redefining conventional arms policies and challenging long-standing global norms, particularly in Eastern Europe. The withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty and the revival of mine production serve as clear signals: Europe’s front-line states no longer consider existing arms limitations sufficient in the face of evolving security threats.
As these nations move forward with mine production plans, the world watches closely torn between the imperatives of self-defense and the enduring dangers of landmine proliferation.