Ukraine signed the Mine
Ban Treaty on 24 February 1999 but has not ratified it yet. It attended the
early treaty preparatory meetings, but did not endorse the pro-ban treaty
Brussels Declaration in June 1997. It attended the treaty negotiations in Oslo
and the treaty signing conference in Ottawa, but only as an observer in each
case. However, Ukraine voted in favor of the pro-ban 1996, 1997, and 1998 UN
General Assembly resolutions.
Ukraine’s somewhat mixed record in support of a ban reflected the
desires of many in the Foreign Ministry to embrace it as a humanitarian and
disarmament issue, and the desires of many in the Defense Ministry to hold onto
what was regarded as a useful weapon. Perhaps the key stumbling block in
signing the treaty, though, was concern about Ukraine’s ability to afford
the costs of destroying its significant mine stockpile within four years, as
required by the treaty.
After months of diplomatic and technical discussions, on 27 January 1999, an
agreement between Canada and Ukraine about cooperation in destruction of
Ukraine’s landmine stockpiles was signed. On the same day, President
Leonid Kuchma declared that Ukraine would join the Mine Ban Treaty.
On 24 February 1999, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada signed the treaty at
the United Nations. In a press release, the Ukrainian government stated:
“The decision of the Government of Ukraine to sign this international
document...was also made possible due to the agreement reached by the Ukrainian
and Canadian sides during a recent visit to Ukraine by Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chretien in January 1999 and reflected in the Memorandum on cooperation
between the two Governments towards destruction of anti-personnel landmine
stockpiles in Ukraine. Canada took the obligation to assist Ukraine in
destroying the [10 million] landmines inherited by it with the collapse of the
former Soviet Union. Ukraine began to get rid of the mines in December 1997,
even as the Convention was opened for signing at an international conference in
Ottawa.”[1]
Ukraine is a state party to the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)
and its Protocol II on landmines, but it has not yet ratified the amended
Protocol II (1996). At the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
regional conference in Budapest in March 1998, the Ukrainian representative
stated that “Ukraine adheres to the amended Protocol II of the CCW and
hopes to ratify it
soon.”[2]
Ukraine is also a member of the Conference on Disarmament. It was one of the
22 CD members that in February 1999 jointly called for the appointment of a
Special Coordinator on antipersonnel mines, and the establishment of an Ad Hoc
Committee to negotiate a transfer
ban.[3]
Production
The Ukraine government states that it does not
manufacture landmines and has not since independence. At the Mine Ban Treaty
signing conference, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Volodymyr Furkalo said,
“It is a know fact that we do not produce these
weapons.”[4] During the
time of the Soviet Union, Ukraine produced components for Soviet landmines. At
the ICBL Budapest conference in March 1998, the Ukrainian representative stated,
“Ukraine denies that it currently produces antipersonnel mines but
acknowledges that it inherited landmines left by the collapse of the Soviet
Union.”[5]
Some sources, perhaps most notably the U.S. State Department in 1993, have
identified Ukraine as an antipersonnel mine
producer.[6]
Transfer
The same U.S. State Department communique
identified Ukraine as an exporter of antipersonnel mines, though Landmine
Monitor is unaware of any documented cases of transfer since
independence.[7]
Ukraine enacted a moratorium on the export of antipersonnel mines from August
1995 to September 1999.[8]
It is not believed that Ukraine has imported AP mines, since it inherited
such large stocks from the USSR.
Stockpiling
Ukraine has approximately 10.1 million AP mines in
its stockpiles,[9] inherited
after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Weapons, including landmines, had
been stored at the Kiev, Odessa and Prikarpatskiy Military Districts. Under the
January 1999 agreement, Canada will be providing financial and technical support
for destruction; announcement of a destruction plan is expected in 1999. The
following types of AP mines have been reported in the Ukrainian stockpile: PMN,
PMN-2, PMN-4, OZM-72, MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, MON-200, KSF-l cluster bomb with
PFM-1 AP mines, KPOM-2 cluster bomb with POM-2 AP mines, PFM-ls, and the
POM-2.[10]
At the signing ceremonies of the Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa, the Ukrainian
Ambassador to Canada stated: “Today we would welcome any assistance by the
State-Parties under Article 6 of the Convention to help destroy our stockpiled
landmines.”[11]
In March 1998, Ukraine destroyed 101,028 PFM-1 landmines. On March 18 the
first batch of old antipersonnel mines from the Ukrainian Army arsenals was
destroyed on the proving ground near
Kiev.[12]
Use
The Ukraine Ministry of Defense states that AP
mines have not been used on Ukrainian territory since WWII.
Mine Clearance and Mine Awareness
Ukraine is mine affected because of World War II
mines and unexploded ordnance, which are generally located in unpopulated areas.
The number of mines and UXO left in Ukraine from the war is estimated at 1
million.[13] Some 3 million
mines and UXO have already been cleared since World War II. The most heavily
mined areas are reported to be Vinnitsa, Ternopol, Zhitomir, Dnepropetrovsk,
Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, and
Kharkov.[14]
The demining of Ukrainian territory is carried out by the Ministry of
Defense, Ministry of Emergency Situations, and Ministry of Interior’s
Special Police Demining Teams ( SPDT) of the Bombs Disposal Division. The
National Guard and Secret Service of Ukraine also have demining
units.[15]
For clearance purposes, Ukrainian territory is divided into 497 areas of
responsibility; of these, the Ministry of Defense is responsible for demining
442 areas, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations is responsible for demining
in the remaining fifty-five
areas.[16]
The Ministry of Defense reports that it cleared 11,818 mines and UXOs were
cleared in 1992; 22,533 in 1993; 29,062 in 1994; 26,034 in 1995; 10,420 in 1996;
13,234 in 1997; and 9,539 in
1998.[17]
The Ministry of Interior’s Special Police Demining Teams were created
in 1995, and are made up of former military and militia personnel. The SPDTs
work in the most densely populated areas of Ukraine. They cleared 11,400 UXOs in
1997 and 13,300 UXOs in
1998.[18]
Exact statistics on clearance by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and
other demining units are not available, but MES collects some 3-4,000 mines and
UXO each year.
The National Guard and Secret Service of Ukraine also have demining
units.
The Ukrainian military, engineering units included, takes an active part in
peacekeeping missions. There were Ukrainian engineer companies in the UNPROFOR
mission in the former Yugoslavia. Ukrainian deminers conducted demining in
Bosnia (Sarajevo, Gorazde, Zepa, Mostar) and Croatia (Topysko, Glina, Petrinja,
Zirovac). In 1996, Ukraine participated in the peacekeeping mission in Angola,
UNAVEM, and participated in mine clearance operations there.
There are no systematic mine awareness programs in Ukraine. During mine
clearance operations, deminers meet with the local population and educate them
on the rules of behavior when they come across a UXO.
Landmine Casualties
More than 1,500 civilians have been killed in Ukraine between 1945 and 1995
in mine accidents. One hundred and thirty deminers have been killed during
clearance operations.[19]
In the Ministry of Defense’s areas of responsibility, there were
sixteen mine accidents in 1997 which left seven people dead (five of whom were
children), and thirty people were injured. In 1998, there were four mine
accidents leaving five people dead (four children) and three people (one child)
injured.[20] In the
SPDT’s areas of responsibility, there were twenty-nine people killed and
ninety-one people injured in 1997, and twenty-one people killed and seventy-one
injured in 1998.[21]
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-1989), an estimated 18% of
all casualties were due to landmines. Of the 150,000 Ukrainians who fought in
Afghanistan. 3,360 Ukrainians were killed, and every sixth death was as a result
of mine explosion.[22]
Landmine Survivor Assistance
The main institution for assistance to mine
victims is the Social Rehabilitation Centre in Kiev. It provides artificial
upper and lower limb orthopaedic goods, and works in close contact with the Otto
Bock company in Germany.
There are laws in Ukraine providing measures on social rehabilitation of
disabled people. For instance, more than 14 million people are entitled to a
discount on their accommodation, electricity, and gas. Such people are also
entitled to use all kind of city transport (except taxis) free of charge, and to
pay half-price for a once-a-year trip throughout Ukraine for themselves and
their families. Disabled may also be provided with free medical treatment at
Ukrainian sanatoriums and resorts, and receive free dental treatment and
prosthetic appliances. Some categories of disabled are provided with cars for
free.
In addition to various legislative acts and state institutions, there is a
ministry directly responsible for the social rehabilitation of the disabled: the
Ministry of Labour and Social Rehabilitation. The Ministry owns fourteen plants
and factories which produce prosthetic appliances. But in 1998, the state debt
to these factories was 13 million hryvnas. Lack of money threatens the
factories’ ability to continue production. There are currently 800,000
people needing prosthetics. Due to the serious financial and economic problems
of the country, there are budget cuts for social needs. In 1998, only 43% of
the budget appropriated for the national program on rehabilitation of disabled
was actually spent.
[11] Statement by H.E.
Volodymyr Furkalo, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, Head of Ukrainian
Delegation, at the Global Ban on Landmines Treaty Signing Conference and Mine
Action Forum, Ottawa, 4 December 1997.
[12] General Volodymyr
Vorobiov, Head of the Corps of Engineers, 28 April 1998.
[13]United Nations,
Country Report: Ukraine, at
http://www.un.org/Depts/Landmine/country/ukraine.htm.
[17] Landmine Monitor
interviews with Ministry of Defense officials.
[18] SPDT Bombs Disposal
Division report, 19 February 1999 (Dnepropetrovsk).
[19]United Nations,
Country Report: Ukraine, at
http://www.un.org/Depts/Landmine/country/ukraine.htm.
[20] Chief of Staff General
I.E. Yazovskih, Annual Report about Results of Demining of the Ukrainian
Territory for 1998.
[21] SPDT Bombs Disposal
Division report, 19 February 1999 (Dnepropetrovsk).
[22] Colonel Valery Ablasov,
Deputy Head of State Committee for Veterans Affairs, Soviet Staff and Arms
Technics Losses in Afghanistan (1979-1989), 15 December 1998.
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