Was Signing and Implementing the Landmines Treaty a Mistake?

The first widespread use of landmines was in the American Civil War. The widespread use of landmines, which were later developed and designed for two different purposes to stop infantry and tanks, took place in the Second World War. Subsequently, landmines were used in many wars such as the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the Gulf War, causing the loss of many vehicles and soldiers. When mines proved to be very effective, every country laid mines on its borders during the Cold War. 

Since landmines are cheap and simple weapons, they have been produced and used by almost every country. A standard mine consists of an explosive material placed in a metal or plastic container. There is also a detonation mechanism to ignite the mine. Detonation mechanisms can be activated by touch, exposure to pressure or release from pressure. 

Thanks to their protective containers, mines remain undisturbed for a long time after they are buried in the ground, which is why there are still dangerous mined areas in 61 countries. It is not known exactly how many mines are in these areas. These mines, which do not discriminate between civilians and soldiers and do not respect the ceasefire, continue to take thousands of lives even in times of peace.  

Landmines also cause large amounts of land to be unusable. This is because even the suspicion of the presence of mines in a piece of land prevents the use of that piece of land and its surroundings. For this reason, initiatives were launched in the 1990s to ban antipersonnel landmines. As a result of these initiatives, the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction", known as the "Ottawa Convention", was opened for signature in 1997.

This convention prohibits the production, use, storage, purchase, sale and transfer of mines. It also obliges States Parties to destroy mines in storage, clear mined areas and provide assistance to persons injured by mine explosions. A total of 162 countries have acceded to the convention, which Turkey ratified in 2003. 

It is known that more than 50 countries have produced mines in the past, both for their own use and for supply to other countries. However, 41 countries have stopped the production of antipersonnel landmines as a result of this convention. Countries such as Egypt, Israel, Nepal and the USA, which are not party to the convention, are among these countries.

However, 11 of the non-signatory countries (Russia, China, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam) still reserve the right to produce and use landmines. Of these, India, Pakistan, Myanmar and South Korea allegedly continue to produce mines. 

It is estimated that countries that are not party to the Mine Ban Treaty currently have a stockpile of around 50 million landmines ready for use at any time. Russia, China, India, Pakistan and the USA are reported to have the largest stockpiles. Myanmar is the only country that still insists on laying landmines. 

In addition, although not officially declared, it is known that landmines are used in countries such as Syria and Libya, which have recently been experiencing civil wars. On the other hand, it is also known that non-state armed groups (terrorist organisations, paramilitary groups, tribes, etc.) produce and use landmines, most of which are handmade.

As a state party to the Convention, Turkey has both destroyed the prohibited mine stocks and cleared the minefields around the border regions and the police stations and bases in the internal security operation zones. However, the clearance of mines on the borders has been met with reactions by many people from environmentalists to different political circles. 

The reactions are generally centred on the following points: mines that have been in the soil for years have chemically contaminated the soil due to leaks, therefore agriculture should not be carried out in the cleared areas, minefields are cleared by foreign companies, and there are other plans behind the clearing of mines on the borders. 

Following the millions of migrants and asylum seekers who have entered the country illegally in recent years, the argument that the mines on the borders protect the country and that if they had not been cleared, so many illegal migrants would not have been able to enter the country has come to the fore. Although walls have been built in some border regions, the fact that foreigners can easily enter the country from wherever they want by using ladders shows that there is some truth in these claims. Clearing mines has had a negative impact on border security.

However, the mine issue gained a wider dimension with the Ukrainian War. The Russian army, which attempted to invade Ukraine, could not continue its offensive due to the heavy casualties it suffered, so it switched to defence on the lines it could take under control. In defence, similar to the classical Soviet doctrine, the Russians were organised in the form of three defensive lines, one behind the other.

Ahead of the main battle line, the Russian army laid a large number of landmines in the likely approaching directions of the Ukrainian army. Behind the mined areas, it constructed concrete tank barriers along the entire line of contact and reinforced them with mines. Behind the tank obstacles, a deep and wide tank ditch was dug along the front line. 

Behind the tank ditch, a line of defensive positions with zigzag liaison trenches, personnel bunkers and shelters was established. Immediately behind this line, the Russians placed supporting guns and organised two more lines behind the first line. They deployed a small number of infantry and long-range support guns on these lines. 

This organisation, which resembled the First World War concept of positional warfare, worked surprisingly well. Indeed, the Ukrainian offensive launched in the summer of 2023 crashed into this defence system. As a result, the Ukrainian army lost a large number of tanks and armoured vehicles. Some Western observers attribute this failure to the Russian use of a large number of landmines.

Indeed, mines have made a significant contribution to Russian defence. However, this is not only due to the mines, but also to the doctrine, tactics and techniques of the Ukrainian army. In accordance with the lessons learnt by the US Army from the Iraqi experience, the Ukrainians, trained by the US Army, are organised in the form of mine clearance vehicles in front and columns of vehicles following behind when they arrive in minefields.

This resulted in Ukrainian vehicles being in mass, and thus making them easier targets for Russian fire support vehicles. Thus, a large number of Ukrainian tanks and vehicles were destroyed and the offensive failed.

This clearly shows that landmines are still an important weapon in defence. Since not all countries are signatories to the Ottawa convention, signatory countries have been disadvantaged by voluntarily giving up the right to use a cheap and simple weapon. This issue should be re-evaluated and a suitable solution should be found to compensate for this weakness.