US President Joe Biden has agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel land mines, a US defence official told the BBC, a move seen as an attempt to slow Russian troops who have been steadily advancing in Ukraine’s east in recent months.
Ukraine was also committed to not using the mines in densely-populated areas, the official said.
The provision of anti-personnel land mines is the latest move by the outgoing US administration to bolster Ukraine’s war effort before Donald Trump returns to the White House on 20 January.
The US defence official confirmed to the BBC that Ukraine had pledged to use only mines that remained active for a limited period of time.
Washington has already been providing anti-tank mines to Ukraine, but the anti-personnel land mines – which can be rapidly deployed – are designed to blunt the advances of ground forces.
A US defense official told the BBC that US President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with anti-personnel land mines. This is thought to be an effort to slow Russian troops who have been advancing steadily in Ukraine’s east in recent months.
Speaking under anonymity, the official stated that Washington anticipated the use of the mines on Ukrainian territory and that they would be delivered shortly.
According to the official, Ukraine also pledged not to use the mines in areas with a high population density.
Separately, the US State Department announced that it “received specific information of a potential significant air attack on 20 November” and would close its embassy in Kyiv.
In a statement, it stated, “The embassy will be closed out of a great deal of caution, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place.”.
According to the US embassy, if an air alert is issued, US citizens should be ready to seek shelter right away. “.”.
Major drone strikes on Russian and Ukrainian territory were reported overnight.
Whether any casualties occurred was not immediately known.
Anti-personnel land mines are the most recent action taken by the departing US administration to support Ukraine’s war effort prior to Donald Trump’s January 20 return to the White House.
Landmines have been widely used by Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the Biden administration was unable to approve their use due to international objections, which claim that the weapons endanger civilians.
The BBC was informed by the US defense official that Ukraine had promised to only use mines that were active for a short time.
The US “non-persistent” mines are different from those in Russia in that they go inert after a predetermined amount of time, which can range from four hours to two weeks. They need battery power to detonate because they are electrically fused. They won’t blow up when the battery runs out.
The anti-personnel land mines, which can be quickly deployed, are intended to impede ground forces’ advances, while Washington has already been supplying Ukraine with anti-tank mines.
US-made longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) missiles were confirmed to have hit targets inside Russia just days after it was reported that the White House had authorized their use.
The Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine to the north, was the target of the Tuesday morning strike, according to Russia’s defense ministry.
It stated that one missile had been damaged, with pieces of it igniting a fire at a military installation, and that five missiles had been shot down.
However, according to two US officials, preliminary data indicated that Russia had only intercepted two of Ukraine’s approximately eight missiles.
The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the disparate numbers.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, charged that Washington was attempting to intensify the war.
The Kremlin is vowing to strike back.
