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Table of Contents
Country Reports
Russia, Landmine Monitor Report 2008

Russia

Mine Ban Treaty status

Not a State Party

Use, production, transfer in 2007–2008

Continued use in Chechnya

Stockpile

Approximately 23 million

Contamination

Antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, UXO, AXO

Estimated area of contamination

Unknown, but 24.5km2 in Chechnya

Demining progress in 2007

Not fully reported; 60,000m2 in Chechnya

Mine/ERW casualties in 2007

Total: 52 (2006: 107)

Mines: 22 (2006: 26)

Booby-traps: 1 (2006: 0)

ERW: 16 (2006: 24)

Submunitions: 0 (2006: 5)

Victim-activated IEDs: 4 (2006: 19)

Unknown devices: 9 (2006: 33)

Casualty analysis

Killed: 20 (2006: 24)

Injured: 32 (2006: 83)

Estimated mine/ERW survivors

Unknown

RE capacity

Unchanged—inadequate, especially in Chechnya

Availability of services in 2007

Unchanged—inadequate, especially in Chechnya

Mine action funding in 2007

International: none reported (2006: $107,000)

National: none reported (2006: none reported)

Key developments since May 2007

Russia has reported stockpile destruction of around 1 million mines each year for the past few years. In addition to continued use of antipersonnel mines in Chechnya, Russia used cluster munitions during the August 2008 conflict in Georgia, causing numerous civilian casualties. In July, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent 60 demining personnel to Serbia to clear an airfield near Niš of submunition contamination.

Mine Ban Policy

The Russian Federation has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. It has often cited the military utility of antipersonnel mines, the lack of viable alternatives, and the financial difficulties in destroying its large stockpile within four years as reasons for not joining.[1] However, Russia continues to express support for the treaty’s humanitarian objectives.[2] In November 2007, Russia said, “As we have many times emphasized earlier, a movement along the road towards peace without mine weapons should be realistic and consistent…. We intend to continue supporting its further strengthening and improvement.”[3]

On 5 December 2007, Russia abstained from voting on UN General Assembly Resolution 62/41, as it has on each annual General Assembly resolution supporting the Mine Ban Treaty. Russia did not attend the Eighth Meeting of State Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Jordan in November 2007, or the June 2008 intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva.[4]

Russia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines.[5] In November 2007, Russia attended the Ninth Annual Conference of State Parties to Amended Protocol II. It submitted a national annual report in accordance with Article 13 of the protocol on 15 October 2007.

Russia exercised the option to defer for nine years compliance with Amended Protocol II’s technical requirements for self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanisms for remotely-delivered antipersonnel mines and for detectability of antipersonnel mines. A Russian official said in November 2007, “By the end of this year a set of measures to implement requirements of the Protocol…will be nearing its completion. In particular, a national system of technical requirements to land mines, including anti-personnel ones, will be finalized and adopted for practical application, a planned disposal of obsolete types of mines is being carried out….”[6] Russia has not subsequently announced completion of the work, and over the years has provided few details about how it is complying with these technical requirements of the protocol.

Russia ratified CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war on 21 July 2008.

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling, and Destruction

Russia produced at least 10 types of antipersonnel mines since 1992, including blast mines (PMN, PMN-2, PMN-4, and PFM-1S) and fragmentation mines (POMZ-2, OZM-72, MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, and MON-200). In November 2007, Russia reiterated that it stopped production of blast mines in 1997.[7] Russia has been conducting research on modifications to existing landmines, new landmines, and alternatives to landmines since at least 1997.[8]

Russia has had a moratorium on the export of antipersonnel mines that are not detectable or equipped with self-destruct devices since 1 December 1994. The moratorium formally expired in 2002, but Russian officials have stated on a number of occasions, most recently in November 2006, that it is still being observed.[9] Russia is not known to have made any state-approved transfers of any type of antipersonnel mine since 1994.

In November 2004, Russia for the first time released official information on the number of antipersonnel mines in its stockpiles, when Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov cited a figure of 26.5 million.[10] The minister forecast that approximately 23.5 million of these antipersonnel mines would be destroyed between 2005 and 2015.[11]

It appears that in recent years, Russia has been destroying about one million stockpiled antipersonnel mines per year. In November 2007, an official said, “During previous years somewhere around 9 million anti-personnel mines” had been destroyed.[12] In November 2006, an official said, “Over the recent years, more than 8 million APMs have been destroyed in Russia.”[13] In January 2005, an official said over seven million stockpiled antipersonnel mines had been destroyed.[14] In November 2004, the Defense Minister said that in 2000 Russia stockpiled 46 million antipersonnel mines, but had since destroyed or disposed of about 19.5 million of them.[15]

Russian officials have acknowledged that Russian military units in other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) maintain antipersonnel mine stockpiles, such as 18,200 in Tajikistan and an unknown number in Georgia (Abkhazia).[16]

Use

The government of Georgia accused Russia of using antipersonnel mines during the fighting in August 2008.[17] At time of writing, Landmine Monitor had not yet been able to investigate the allegations of use of antipersonnel mines. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that Russia used cluster munitions during the conflict, causing numerous civilian casualties.[18]

Apart from Georgia, there were no specific reports of use of antipersonnel mines by Russian armed forces in this reporting period (since May 2007). However, Russia has used mines on a regular basis since 1999, primarily in Chechnya, but also at times in Dagestan, Tajikistan, and on the border with Georgia.

In June 2006, Russian officials confirmed to Landmine Monitor that Russian forces continued to use antipersonnel mines in Chechnya, both newly emplaced mines and existing defensive minefields, noting, “Antipersonnel mines are used to protect facilities of high importance.” They indicated that forces of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and Border Guards used mines.[19] In discussions with Landmine Monitor since 2006, Russian officials have not stated that use of antipersonnel mines has stopped. Landmine Monitor will continue to cite Russia as an ongoing and active user of antipersonnel mines until an official denial is made and confirmed by the facts on the ground.

Russia has generally argued that its mine use has been necessary to stop flows of weapons, drugs and terrorists, and maintained that it has been in full compliance with CCW Amended Protocol II.[20]

Non-state armed groups

The Russian domestic media regularly has stories of bombings and attacks against state structures conducted by insurgent, separatist, or criminal groups in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, and other locations. While many reports referred to “landmines,” it appears that in most cases, armed groups used command-detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs), time-delay bombs, or antivehicle mines, according to available information in media reports.

Landmine Monitor has not conclusively identified any new use of factory-made antipersonnel mines by armed groups during this reporting period. Some antipersonnel mine incidents occurred, but the date of placement of the mine, or who did so, is not known. For example, in March 2008, an 18-year-old collecting wild leeks in the Urus-Martan region of Chechnya was reportedly injured in a mine explosion.[21]

New use of explosive booby-traps and victim-activated IEDs, both of which are also prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty, also occurred. For example, in January 2008, a resident of Chechnya was wounded by a booby-trapped purse, which exploded after he picked it up from the road.[22] In February 2008, military engineers inspecting a bus near the city of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, found an IED disguised as a teddy bear.[23]

Many news reports are too vague to determine the type of explosive device used. For example, in June 2008, an explosive device, referred to as both a “landmine” and a “radio-controlled bomb,” was found and defused near the outpatient clinic in Karabulak in Ingushetia.[24] In January and February 2008, one person was killed and another injured in “landmine and undetonated bomb explosions” in Grozny and in the Shatoi district of Chechnya.[25]

Landmine/ERW Problem

Russia is heavily contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), much resulting from World War II as well as conflicts in the north Caucasus since the 1990s. In addition to Chechnya, mine/ERW incidents have been reported in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia. ERW remain an acute problem in Dagestan, specifically in Botlikh, Buynaksk and Novolaksky districts.[26]

Chechnya is heavily contaminated by mines and ERW, but the exact extent of the contamination is unknown.[27] In 2008, Chechen officials estimated 24.5km2 of land is affected—including 7.3km2 of forest and 16.5km2 of farmland.[28] Previously, the UN reported claims by a Russian commander that “123 formal minefields of all types have been laid in Chechnya since the start of the conflict,” and that “all parties to the conflict have used mines around checkpoints, temporary positions and military bases.” The report also estimated that 15% of all munitions used in the fighting for Grozny did not explode.[29]

Mine Action

There is no formal, civilian mine action program in Russia. Mine clearance continues to be carried out by the Engineering Troops of the Ministry of Defense, demining brigades of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations [30] through its specialized demining unit, EMERCOM Demining.[31] The Ministry of Defense is responsible for area clearance and the Ministry of Emergency Situations is responsible for spot clearance.[32]

UNICEF continues to act as the focal point for mine action-related activities in the northern Caucasus.[33] UNICEF has continued to advocate for the creation of a government-led mine action center for the region, but, as of March 2008, without success.[34] UNICEF uses the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) to store data on mine incidents; the latest version had been due for installation in June 2007, but this date was postponed until mid-2008.[35]

Demining

The Ministry of Defense has claimed that demining of large areas is usually the responsibility of civilian organizations: “This activity takes years and involves considerable financial expense.”[36] In 2008, the commander of the Russian engineering troops stated that “in accordance with international mine action standards, one battalion would spend several decades demining pasture and arable lands in Chechnya.”[37]

Mine and ERW clearance in 2007 and 2008

In 2007, deminers from the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of 760,000 mines and ERW across Russia, including 30,000 items in Chechnya.[38] During the same period, deminers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations reportedly destroyed more than 40,000 ERW.[39] In 2007, the Chechen government requested that EMERCOM survey and clear about 62,000m2 of agricultural land near Oktyabrskoye in Grozny district and Khambi-Irzi;[40] by the end of the year, more than 60,000m2 of arable land was said to have been cleared.[41] In 2007, EMERCOM Demining also conducted technical survey on 317,300m2 of land on Sakhalin island.[42]

According to the Ministry of Defense, during 2008 they would be able to demine 10km2 of land in Chechnya, although details were not provided of any areas planned for clearance.[43]

Landmine/ERW/IED Casualties

Landmine Monitor identified 52 new mine/ERW/IED casualties in Russia in 2007. Most reported casualties occurred in Chechnya, as this is the only part of Russia with a data collection mechanism recording civilian casualties, although it is incomplete. Other casualties were recorded mainly through the media, but they do not reflect the full extent of the problem.

In 2007, UNICEF in Chechnya recorded 28 civilian mine/ERW casualties, including 11 people killed and 17 injured. The majority of casualties were men (19), seven were boys, and two were women. Casualties were caused by ERW (15), antipersonnel mines (11), and one each by a booby-trap and an antivehicle mine. Most casualties occurred while collecting food (eight), followed by playing (seven), and traveling (four). Two casualties occurred while collecting scrap metal; passing by, doing housework, and tampering caused one casualty each; and for the remainder the activity was “other.” None of the casualties occurred in marked areas and no one had received mine/ERW risk education (RE).[44] In 2006, UNICEF reported 30 casualties (nine killed and 21 injured) in Chechnya.[45]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also reported treating six people injured by mines/ERW in Chechen hospitals in 2007, but insufficient information was available to determine if they had been included in UNICEF data and they have not been added to the total for Russia.[46]

Landmine Monitor identified an additional 15 mine/ERW casualties in Chechnya through media monitoring (seven killed and eight injured). Six were civilians and nine were military personnel. Nine casualties were identified in other areas of Russia (two killed and seven injured). Five of these casualties were civilians and four were military personnel. Incidents occurred in Dagestan, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, and Moscow. Ten of these casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines, four by victim-activated IEDs, one by ERW, and unknown devices caused nine casualties.[47]

The 2007 total was a decrease from 107 casualties (24 killed and 83 injured) caused by mines/ERW/victim-activated IEDs identified in Russia in 2006.[48] The 2007 casualty rate is certainly under-reported as it is often impossible to distinguish command-detonated devices from victim-activated ones in reporting. Criminal acts using explosives are also reported throughout Russia and it is often not possible to determine the nature of the device.[49] Incidents which were not clearly victim-activated have not been included in the total above.

Casualties continued to occur in 2008 with UNICEF reporting four civilian mine/ERW casualties to May, including one child killed and three men injured. Two casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines; a booby-trap and an unknown device caused one casualty each.[50] Through media reports, Landmine Monitor identified another eight casualties in Chechnya (four killed and four injured). Two were civilians and six were military. Another 13 casualties occurred in other areas of Russia (two killed, 11 injured); five were civilian and eight were military. [51]

Data collection

There is no comprehensive and publicly available casualty data collection mechanism in Russia. The primary sources of casualty information for the entire federation are media reports, which do not clearly identify the type of device causing the incidents.

In Chechnya, UNICEF continued to collect data in all administrative districts, with partner NGO Voice of the Mountains (Laman Az, VoM) and was responsible for IMSMA data management.[52] Local NGO Let’s Save the Generation also assisted with data collection.[53]

The total number of casualties in Russia is unknown. In Chechnya, UNICEF’s IMSMA database contained records on some 3,092 mine/ERW/IED casualties between 1994 and the end of 2007 (713 killed and 2,379 injured).[54] The directorate of EMERCOM for Chechnya recorded an almost identical number of mine/ERW casualties to UNICEF: 3,066 between January 1994 to 26 February 2007 (703 killed and 2,363 injured); 754 were children (131 killed and 623 injured).[55] Some previous estimates of the number of mine/ERW casualties in Chechnya were much higher, but these were found to have included other conflict casualties.[56] No separate records of mine/ERW survivors with disability status are maintained in Chechnya.[57]

Landmine/ERW Risk Education

In 2007, mine/ERW risk education (RE) in Russia was only reported for Chechnya. RE in Chechnya was implemented by Danish Demining Group (DDG) with the support of Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the Chechen branch of the Russian Red Cross Society with support from the ICRC, and UNICEF with local partner VoM. They reached some 72,000 people in 2007, a significant decrease from more than 110,000 people in 2006.[58]

Mine/ERW incidents among adult civilians mostly occurred during everyday economic activities in Chechnya. People in high-risk groups included those engaging in collecting firewood, wild leeks and scrap metal.[59] A decline in casualties from 2004 onwards may be in part attributable to changing economic factors decreasing risk-taking behaviors. For example, the ICRC reported that the new availability of gas to households in many communities corresponded with a fall in adult male mine/ERW casualties while harvesting firewood.[60] UNICEF also links the decline in casualties to the results of RE programs.[61]

Coordination of RE responsibilities in Chechnya was undertaken primarily through the UN Mine Action Portfolio country team structure.[62] The 2007 UN inter-agency workplan for the North Caucasus also included RE planning.[63]

In 2007, DDG/DRC provided RE in Achkhoi-Martan, Groznenskiy, Kurchaloy, and Sunzhensky districts, and also in the cities of Grozny and Argun. They reached 41,885 beneficiaries: 16,243 adults (6,489 men and 9,754 women) and 25,642 children. DDG/DRC began building 15 safe playgrounds in December 2007, which were completed in 2008.[64] DDG/DRC conducted RE presentations targeting at-risk groups, specifically presenting in places where wild-leek collectors gather and for workers at construction sites. Seasonal RE activities were conducted for wild leek collectors in March 2007 and February 2008. A positive indicator for the program was that no mine/ERW incidents were reported during the collection of wild leeks in 2007. Specifically designed posters to reinforce safe behaviors in potential hazard areas were placed in all areas where RE was delivered.[65]

UNICEF, with local partner VoM, conducted RE presentations for approximately 30,000 primary schoolchildren and other members of the population in affected areas in 2007.[66] VoM provided RE to 6,144 children in some 40 schools, to 4,366 people through theatre, and to another 1,000 through other public performance events; presumably these numbers are included in the total UNICEF figure.[67] The 2007 UNICEF total was a sharp decrease from some 80,000 beneficiaries in 2006 and well below UNICEF’s target of reaching some 90,000 students in Chechnya through RE in schools in 2007. The decrease was mainly due to lower funding, which continued into 2008.[68]

In 2007, the ICRC provided technical and financial support to RE activities of the Chechen branch of the Russian Red Cross Society: 20 rural schools participated in a “Danger Mines” mural project; an RE seminar was held for journalists; and two roundtables on RE were held for district and village administrations. RE was also publicly disseminated through the media and materials for schools and children’s clubs. Fifteen safe play areas were established in 2007.[69] Since 2004, the Russian Red Cross Society has built 56 safe playgrounds for children in locations with the most mine incidents; five more were planned for 2008. [70]

In 2007, Let’s Save the Generation continued to produce mine awareness videos in partnership with the UN Development Programme.[71]

Victim Assistance

Medical, surgical, physical rehabilitation, and reintegration services are available for mine/ERW survivors throughout Russia, but with regional differences in coverage and quality. Most mine survivors in Russia are either civilian casualties in Chechnya or war veterans from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Russia has extensive military medical experience in dealing with blast injuries. Specialist surgeons throughout the CIS also receive training in Russia supported by the ICRC. In 2007, 25 surgeons from the Caucasus attended a war and emergency surgery seminar in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar Republic.[72]

There are at least five major rehabilitation centers specifically equipped to address the needs of disabled Russian war veterans, including amputee mine/ERW survivors. War veterans are eligible for free treatment, including prosthetics, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support. However, many veterans were reportedly not aware that these services were available,[73] and service provision was not implemented consistently in all regions.[74]

The 1995 Federal Law on Social Security of the Disabled, and its amendments, address the rights of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities throughout Russia.[75] Legislation at various levels also addresses the needs of persons with disabilities, particularly war veterans.[76]

However, legislation is not enforced and persons with disabilities continued to be denied equal social and economic opportunities. To receive federal benefits and mobility devices civilians with disabilities, including amputees, must apply for annual registration through a complex bureaucratic process which can take up to four months.[77] Changes in legislation limited the number of prosthetic limbs and other assistive devices available for civilians with disabilities.[78]

War veterans groups and associations of disabled war veterans in many regions of Russia advocated for improved legislation, benefits, and services in 2007.[79] As of 31 July 2008, Russia had not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or its Optional Protocol.

The Federal Agency for Health and Social Development (FAHSD) is responsible for issues relating to services for persons with disabilities in Russia. FAHSD reports to the Ministry of Health and Social Development, which allocates funding for services.[80]

Medical assistance and rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities are provided within the framework of the federal Social Support for Persons with Disabilities 2006–2010 program, which includes a sub-program for war-injured.[81]

In May 2008, the All-Russian Public Organization of Disabled War Veterans of Afghanistan held a conference on the further development of community-based rehabilitation and expansion of social integration and psychological support for veterans with disabilities, including those injured in Chechnya.[82] Representatives from more than 60 regions (of the 83 in Russia) discussed opening a further 20 rehabilitation centers through regional organizations by obtaining backing from the federal program of Social Support for Person with Disabilities 2006–2010.[83]

In March 2007, the European Union (EU) and the Ministry of Health and Social Development began a wide-ranging project to improve disability services in Russia; the project is scheduled to finish at end 2009. The project’s aims include improvement of federal and regional legal regulations, development of a national system to train rehabilitation specialists, and development of rehabilitation services in pilot regions with the involvement of NGOs. In 2007, pilot projects were started in Kostroma, Moscow, and Saratov regions and in St. Petersburg.[84]

Victim assistance services in Chechnya

The overall situation for mine/ERW survivors in Chechnya remained poor. Services to survivors provided by the state did not fulfill the existing level of need due to a lack of funding.[85] However in 2007 and early 2008, Chechen health services received increased funding from both federal and local authorities[86] while several humanitarian organizations concluded their emergency programs. Nevertheless, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) reported in 2007 and mid-2008 that medical needs were not being met in Chechnya and neighboring North Caucasus republics.[87]

Disability status in Chechnya is determined according to regulations of Russia and the procedures of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.[88] Chechnya also has several disability regulations adopted by its parliament,[89] but most disability regulations were not implemented effectively.[90] Since June 2007, Chechen legislation has stated that persons with disabilities must make up 2–4% of employees in organizations with more than 100 staff.[91] State statistics indicated that eight of the 20 districts in Chechnya reached this target completely and five districts had fulfilled more than 90% of the quota.[92]

Less funding from international organizations reduced activities for mine/ERW survivors implemented by local partners. Working with the government system to provide services was reportedly complicated and a key challenge for local service providers.[93]

Assistance activities in Chechnya were mainly undertaken through the Ministry of Health, the Fund for Social Insurance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, the Pension Fund, the Grozny Prosthetic-Orthopedic Center, and international and local organizations including NGOs. There was no central coordination and local organizations awaited the creation of a mine action center to fulfill this key role.[94]

Due to increased government assistance in the health sector, the ICRC gradually decreased its emergency assistance throughout 2007 and all support to emergency healthcare ended at the end of 2007. Seven hospitals that received ICRC support in 2007 assisted 25 weapons-injured people, including six mine/ERW survivors.[95]

MSF continued to provide reconstructive surgery free of charge for people with traumatic injuries, including corrective surgery for mine/ERW injuries. No mine/ERW survivors were treated between September 2007 and April 2008.[96]

The Grozny Prosthetic-Orthopedic Center provides physical rehabilitation and orthopedic devices for persons with disabilities in Chechnya. In January 2007, the government of Chechnya took over the financial responsibility for the center.[97] Since then the center has depended on budget allocations from the Social Security Fund. Due to delays in signing a contract with the Chechen division of the Federal Social Insurance Fund there were no services in the first two months of 2007.[98] Nevertheless, overall production and repairs at the center increased in 2007 after a slump in 2006.[99] The center assisted 799 people and produced 206 prostheses (75% or 155 for survivors) and 349 orthoses (none for survivors).[100] The ICRC provided training for technicians and distributed information leaflets on the center to make people aware of the services available. The ICRC also continued to provide scholarships for four Chechens’ training in prosthetics and orthotics at the St. Petersburg Social College.[101]

Handicap International (HI), with European Commission funding, continued to support 13 rehabilitation centers and provide information on services for persons with disabilities. Through these centers, 1,284 assistive devices of various kinds were distributed. Staff training on rehabilitation services was provided for 20 professionals. HI supported 95 livelihood support projects for persons with disabilities in occupations such as cattle breeding, beekeeping and sewing in Nozhay-Yurtovsky, Urus-Martanovsky and Groznensky Selsky districts.[102]

Let’s Save the Generation provided or facilitated various services for mine/ERW survivors, including 173 surgical treatments, 101 other medical services, prosthetic and mobility devices for 107 people, and 97 physical therapy and 79 occupational therapy sessions. They also provided support to 1,800 survivors, families and communities through peer support groups, as well 160 vocational training opportunities and eight job placements. Let’s Save the Generation’s Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center received funding from the World Health Organization in 2007.[103]

UNICEF did not fund victim assistance services in Chechnya or report on programs in 2007, unlike past years. However UNICEF did provide some medical equipment for the treatment of mine survivors to Grozny Prosthetic-Orthopedic Center.[104]

The ICRC assisted 12 Chechen refugees living in Azerbaijan to obtain physical rehabilitation services in 2007.[105]

Support for Mine Action

In October 2007, Russia reported it was ready to provide assistance in demining to other interested states.[106] In April 2008, the Ministry of Emergency Situations signed an agreement with the Serbian Ministry of Trade to start demining operations in Serbia in 2008; Russia was to cover the full cost of the operations, estimated at around US$35 million.[107] In July, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent 60 demining personnel to Serbia to clear an airfield near Niš and the adjoining area,[108] and (cluster) submunition clearance at the airport began in August.[109] The work was expected to continue in other areas of the country in 2009.[110]


[1] At a January 2007 press conference the chief of Russia’s engineering troops, Col.-Gen. Nikolay Serdtsev, stated, “The Russian armed forces cannot allow themselves to give up the use of landmines, which for a long time will remain one of the most effective and inexpensive types of defensive weapon.” “Russia needs landmines: army general,” Agence France-Presse, 19 January 2007.

[2] Russia stated in November 2006 that “a mine-free world remains our common goal. Nonetheless, we have noted on several occasions that our movement towards this goal has to be realistic and gradual, sustaining the necessary level of security and stability.” Statement of Russia, Eighth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2006.

[3] Statement of Russia, Ninth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2007.

[4] Russia attended Mine Ban Treaty meetings from 2000–2003, but has been absent from all since February 2004.

[5] Russia submitted a series of declarations with its ratification instrument that will guide its national implementation of Amended Protocol II. For details of the declarations, see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 854–855.

[6] Statement of Russia, Ninth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2007.

[7] In November 2007, Russia said it stopped production of blast mines “more than ten years ago.” Statement of Russia, Ninth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2007. See also Statement of Russia, Third Annual Conference of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, 10 December 2001. In January 2005, Russia said it had not developed, produced, or supplied blast mines to its armed forces for more than nine years. Statement by Amb. Leonid Skotnikov, Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, 27 January 2005.

[8] Maj.-Gen. Alexander Averchenko, “Traditional and New Tasks,” Amreysky Sbornik (magazine), No. 1, 1997. In 2004, Russia said it has spent or plans to spend 3.33 billion rubles on research, development and production of new engineer munitions, including alternatives to antipersonnel mines. Statement by Sergei Ivanov, Minister of Defense, parliamentary hearings on ratification of Amended Protocol II, 23 November 2004.

[9] In November 2006, Amb. Anatoly I. Antonov stated, “Starting from 1994 we have been observing the moratorium on the export of the most dangerous APMs.” Eighth Annual Meeting of States Parties of CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2006. In August 2006, Russia told the Conference on Disarmament, “We are interested in working out a universal international agreement on banning the transfer of the most dangerous antipersonnel mines.” Statement by Amb. Valery Loshchinin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, 10 August 2006.

[10] Statement by Sergei Ivanov, parliamentary hearings on ratification of Amended Protocol II, 23 November 2004.

[11] Ibid. He noted that Russia spends some RUB150–180 million per year on the disposal of outdated antipersonnel mines and mines falling under the restrictions of Amended Protocol II.

[12] Statement of Russia, Ninth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2007.

[13] Statement of Russia, Eighth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2006.

[14] Statement by Amb. Leonid Skotnikov, Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, 27 January 2005.

[15] Statement by Sergei Ivanov, parliamentary hearings on ratification of Amended Protocol II, 23 November 2004.

[16] Tajikistan has reported that bilateral negotiations concerning Russian stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in Tajikistan are ongoing. Tajikistan Article 7 Report, Form B, 3 February 2008. Russia has apparently destroyed the stockpile of antipersonnel mines it had in the disputed Transnistria region of Moldova. See Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 535.

[17] Georgia has provided the ICBL and others with a document titled “Bombed and Mined Areas During Russian Occupation (from August 7, 2008),” dated 26 August 2008, that alleges Russian use of antipersonnel mines in at least eight locations from 7 August to 21 August 2008.

[18] See Human Rights Watch press releases, “Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians,” 15 August 2008, and “Georgia: Civilians Killed by Russian Cluster Bomb ‘Duds,’” 21 August 2008.

[19] Interview with Russian delegation, CCW Group of Governmental Experts, Geneva, 23 June 2006. Translation by Russian delegation and notes by HRW. They insisted that all use of antipersonnel mines “complies with Amended Protocol II,” that “all necessary documentation for minefields is retained,” and that all minefields “are fenced and the civilian population informed.” Russia has regularly acknowledged using antipersonnel mines in Chechnya in the past. For a summary of past use, see, for example, Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1186–1187.

[20] See, for example, Statement by Amb. Anatoly I. Antonov to the CCW Group of Governmental Experts, Geneva, 18 November 2003. The Ministry of Defense has developed guidelines on laying minefields in compliance with the protocol’s requirements. These are taught at the military schools and at special training courses in the armed forces. Statement of Russia, Eighth Annual Meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 6 November 2006.

[21] “Teenager hurt in mine explosion in Chechnya’s Urus-Martan region,” ITAR-TASS, 18 March 2008.

[22] “A picked-up purse exploded in the hands of Chechnya resident,” Kavkazsky Uzel (news agency), 24 January 2008, www.kavkaz-uzel.ru.

[23] “A teddy-bear stuffed with TNT found in Krasnodar region,” Kavkazsky Uzel (news agency), 15 February 2008, www.kavkaz-uzel.ru.

[24] “Russia: Bomb defused in Ingushetia,” BBC Monitoring Caucasus, 14 June 2008.

[25] “UN alarmed by continuing fatalities due to landmines in Chechnya,” Interfax, 17 April 2008.

[26] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 967.

[27] UN, “2007 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, November 2008, p.259; and see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1044.

[28] “Verified—mines exist!” Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 20 February 2008, www.ng.ru.

[29] UN, “2007 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, 14 November 2006, p. 259; and see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1044.

[30] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 967.

[31] EMERCOM, “Demining operations, 2008,” www.emercom-d.com.

[32] “Ongoing demining activities in the Chechen Republic,” Press Service of the President and the Government of Chechen Republic, 14 February 2008, www.chechnya.gov.ru.

[33] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Zarema Djamaldinova, Program Assistant, Child Protection, UNICEF, 31 March 2008.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Ibid.

[36] “Verified—mines exist!” Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 20 February 2008, www.ng.ru.

[37] Ibid.

[38] “Sappers demined in Chechnya 30,000 pieces of ammunition,” Pravda, 21 January 2008, www.pravda.ru.

[39] “Results of activity of MES of Russia during 2007,” MES, 1 February 2008, www.mchs.gov.ru.

[40] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1047.

[41] “Before demining in Serbia, it is necessary to demine Chechnya,” Regnum, 30 April 2008, www.regnum.ru.

[42] EMERCOM, “EMERCOM DEMINING, completed projects,” www.emercom-d.com.

[43] “Verified—mines exist!” Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 20 February 2008, www.ng.ru.

[44] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 28 April 2008.

[45] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1048.

[46] ICRC, “Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, 27 May 2008, p. 276.

[47] Landmine Monitor analysis of media reports for calendar year 2007.

[48] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, pp. 969, 1048.

[49] Landmine Monitor analysis of media reports for calendar year 2007.

[50] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 6 May 2008.

[51] Landmine Monitor analysis of media reports from 1 January–15 August 2008.

[52] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 28 April 2008; and see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1049.

[53] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by email from Rayana Sadulaeva, General Director, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008.

[54] IMSMA casualty data provided by email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 28 April 2008.

[55] Letter from Z.Z. Zalazayev, Vice President, People’s Council of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic on behalf of Chechen parliament, to Minister Sergai Kuzugetovic Soygu, EMERCOM, #33.1364, 11 May 2007.

[56] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1195.

[57] Letter from M.S. Hasiev, Director, Federal Government Main Bureau of Medical-Social Expertise-Chechen Republic, to Let’s Save the Generation, #412, 1 April 2008.

[58] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1047.

[59] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 21 April 2008.

[60] Vadim Udmantsev, “Minefields-Obstacles to Socio-Economic Reconstruction in Chechnya,” VPK (Military Industrial Courier, Nalchik-Moscow), No.19 (235) 14, 20 May 2008, www.vpk-news.ru.

[61] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 21 April 2008.

[62] Ibid.

[63] UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), “Inter-Agency Transitional Workplan for the North Caucasus, Russian Federation, 2007,” Moscow, 12 December 2006, p. 40.

[64] Email from Roger Fasth, Programme Coordinator, DDG, 27 August 2008.

[65] Ibid.

[66] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 6 May 2008.

[67] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Marem Alsabekova, VoM, 8 April 2008.

[68] UNICEF, “Humanitarian Action North Caucasus in 2007,” New York/Geneva, undated, p. 27; and email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 6 May 2008.

[69] ICRC, “Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, 27 May 2008, p. 275.

[70] Email from Eric Marclay, Head of Sub-Delegation, ICRC, 4 April 2008; and Vadim Udmantsev, “Minefields-Obstacles to Socio-Economic Reconstruction in Chechnya,” VPK (Military Industrial Courier, Nalchik-Moscow), No. 19 (235) 14–20 May 2008, www.vpk-news.ru.

[71] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Rayana Sadulaeva, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008.

[72] ICRC, “Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, 27 May 2008, p. 276.

[73] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 971.

[74] “Strategy of Mercy: The support of the state is necessary for those disabled in military operations,” Red Star: The Army and Society, 28 May 2008, www.redstar.ru.

[75] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 971.

[76] Ibid.

[77] Peter Finn, “Russia Looks for Ways to End Isolation, Invisibility of Disabled,” Washington Post (Moscow), 26 June 2008, p. A12, www.washingtonpost.com; and Svetlana Osadchuk, “Moscow’s Disabled Stuck in a Separate World,” The Moscow Times, Issue 3888, 22 April 2008, www.themoscowtimes.com.

[78] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 971.

[79] Ibid, p. 972.

[80] ICRC, “Physical Rehabilitation Programme: Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, May 2008, p. 49.

[81] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 972.

[82] All-Russian Public Organization of Disabled War Veterans in Afghanistan, www.oooiva.ru; and “Strategy of Mercy: The support of the state is necessary for those disabled in military operations,” Red Star: The Army and Society, 28 May 2008, www.redstar.ru.

[83] “Strategy of Mercy: The support of the state is necessary for those disabled in military operations,” Red Star: The Army and Society, www.redstar.ru.

[84] EU-Russia Cooperation Programme, “Rehabilitation System: Services for the Disabled, Russian Federation,” www.rehabsys.ru.

[85] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Rayana Sadulaeva, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008.

[86] ICRC, “Russian Federation: ICRC activities from October to December 2007,” 15 January 2008, www.icrc.org; ICRC, “Russian Federation: ICRC activities from January to March 2008,” 29 April 2008, www.icrc.org; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, 27 May 2008, p. 276.

[87] MSF, “MSF in Russian Federation, 2006/2007,” undated, www.doctorswithoutborders.org; and MSF, “Remote control project in Chechnya allows for health care in a highly insecure region,” 11 August 2008, www.msf.org.

[88] Letter from M.S. Hasiev, Federal Government Main Bureau of Medical-Social Expertise-Chechen Republic, to Let’s Save the Generation, #412, 1 April 2008.

[89] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1050.

[90] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Marem Alsabekova, VoM, 8 April 2008.

[91] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1050.

[92] Statistical information provided by email from Rayana Sadulaeva, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008.

[93] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Marem Alsabekova, VoM, 8 April 2008.

[94] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Rayana Sadulaeva, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008; and response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Marem Alsabekova, VoM, 8 April 2008.

[95] ICRC, “Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, 27 May 2008, p. 276.

[96] Email from Jean-Marc Jacobs, Communications Officer, MSF, 10 April 2008.

[97] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 6 May 2008.

[98] ICRC, “Physical Rehabilitation Programme: Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, May 2008, p. 49.

[99] Production and repair statistics provided in letter from A.A. Nukayev, Grozny Prosthetic-Orthopedic Center of the FAHSD to Let’s Save The Generation, #51, 31 April 2008; response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by M. Aduyev, Deputy Director, Russian Federation Social Insurance Fund for the Chechen Republic, 27 March 2008; and see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 1050.

[100] ICRC, “Physical Rehabilitation Programme: Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, May 2008, p. 49; ICRC “2007 Special Report: Mine Action,” Geneva, April 2008, p. 28; and email from Didier Reck, Regional Head of Physical Rehabilitation Programmes, ICRC, 2 June 2008.

[101] ICRC, “Physical Rehabilitation Programme: Annual Report 2007,” Geneva, May 2008, p. 49.

[102] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Petimat Magomadova, Rehabilitation Specialist, HI, 31 March 2008; and email from Thomas Balivet, CIS Program Director, HI, 5 September 2008.

[103] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by Rayana Sadulaeva, Let’s Save the Generation, 4 April 2008.

[104] Email from Zarema Djamaldinova, UNICEF, 6 May 2008.

[105] Interview with Rasim Allazov, Mine Action Field Officer, ICRC, Grozny, 18 March 2008.

[106] CCW Amended Protocol II, Article 13 Report, Form E, 15 October 2007.

[107] “Russia to clear landmines in Serbia,” Russia Today, 19 April 2008, www.russiatoday.ru.

[108] “The specialists of MES of Russia arrived in Serbia to demine Serbian land,” MES, 24 July 2008, www.mchs.gov.ru.

[109] “Cluster bombs removed in Niš,” B92, 6 August 2008, www.b92.net.

[110] “The specialists of MES of Russia arrived in Serbia to demine Serbian land,” MES, 24 July 2008, www.mchs.gov.ru.