Landmines can maim and kill civilians and are banned in many countries under the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. Yet on Europe’s northeastern border, these controversial weapons are making a comeback.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states are rearming and bringing banned anti-personnel landmines (APLs) back into their arsenals. While military and political leaders say they contribute to strategic deterrence, mine victims and deminers say they pose a serious long-term danger.
The war in Ukraine has reshaped Europe’s security thinking and triggered a radical shift in Finland. According to Colonel Riku Mikkonen of the Finnish armed forces, the military considers APLs a cost effective tool for national defence and a pragmatic instrument of deterrence.
But to Zoran Ješić, who lost a leg to a mine in the Bosnian war, these weapons continue to kill, maim and render entire regions uninhabitable even decades after conflicts have ended. His story illustrates the long-term consequences of weapons that are banned by more than 160 countries.
In Helsinki, Left Alliance politician Li Andersson opposes their reintroduction and warns against a sense of Finnish exceptionalism that could undermine trust in a rules-based world order, while Green MP Atte Harjanne argues that mines are a pragmatic way to protect Finland against a Russian attack.
The documentary explores the tension between military deterrence and humanitarian consequences, asking whether anti-personnel landmines can ever be used responsibly.
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