Dan Rice
When nations across the globe signed conventions banning landmines and cluster munitions, they acted with noble intentions but limited perspective. Most were far from geopolitical hotspots and never imagined their signatures could one day embolden aggression and cost innocent lives in distant lands.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—Europe’s deadliest war since World War II—has tragically revealed the unintended consequences of these agreements. While distant nations showed symbolic solidarity—lighting buildings blue and yellow, waving flags—many also upheld treaty commitments that delayed Ukraine’s access to essential defensive weapons.
Cluster munitions and landmines, while controversial, have proven decisive in Ukraine’s defense. Over half of Russia’s nearly 900,000 casualties are reportedly due to cluster munitions, underlining their brutal effectiveness against massed infantry. At the same time, Russia’s extensive use of landmines has stalled Ukraine’s counteroffensives, revealing their strategic utility in defensive warfare.
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