Finland and Lithuania set to produce anti-personnel mines, officials say
FINLAND AND LITHUANIA, JUL 9 – Finland and Lithuania will start producing anti-personnel mines in 2026 after treaty withdrawal to enhance defense and support Ukraine, with Lithuania investing hundreds of millions of euros.
- Finland and Lithuania plan to produce anti-personnel landmines in 2026 after withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, according to officials from both countries.
- Lithuanian Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa confirmed the country will invest hundreds of millions of euros in mine manufacturing.
- Heikki Autto, Chair of Finland's Parliament Defence Committee, emphasized domestic mine production is essential for national security and could also support Ukraine.
- There are rising concerns over military threats from Russia, prompting NATO members to increase defense spending and capabilities.
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Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland have decided to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, citing the increased military threat posed to their security by Moscow.
Finland and Allies Withdraw from Ottawa Convention Amid Rising Tensions
Finland has informed the UN of its decision to exit the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmines, with the withdrawal effective from January 2026. Alongside Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland, Finland cites growing military threats from Russia. Lithuania and Finland plan to start domestic landmine production in 2024.

Russia's war is changing Europe's security architecture. Five NATO states now want to use anti-personnel mines again.
Finland and Lithuania to begin anti-personnel mine production after treaty exit
Finland and Lithuania are preparing to launch domestic production of anti-personnel landmines in 2026 after confirming plans to leave the Ottawa Convention, officials from both countries said. The decision marks a shift in defence policy for the two NATO member states, both of which border Russia. It follows similar moves by Poland, Latvia and Estonia, who also intend to withdraw from the international treaty banning the use of such mines.
Anti-personnel mines are a terrible weapon that harms civilians, children and adults indiscriminately. Yet we should allow them into Sweden's arsenal again. THE COLUMN. Aron Lund is a freelance columnist on DN's editorial page, a Middle East analyst affiliated with, among others, the Swedish Institute for Foreign Policy, and works in his daily life at the Swedish National Defense Research Institute.
Like Estonia, Latvia and Poland, countries have announced their withdrawal from the landmine treaty.
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