With the threat of Russia on their doorstep, five nations are bolstering their defences by turning to a tactic the world tried to ban

Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have announced they will leave the Ottawa Convention of 1997, which prohibits anti-personnel landmines. Later in June, all five states are expected to give the United Nations formal notice of their withdrawal, allowing them to manufacture, stockpile and deploy such munitions from the end of the year. Together, they guard 2,150 miles of Nato’s frontier with Russia and its client state of Belarus.

Military planners are already working out which expanses of European forest and lake land would be planted with these deadly devices, laden with high explosives and shrapnel, if Vladimir Putin were to mass his forces against the alliance.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
      155·
      22 hours ago

      The “Russian Human Wave” narrative is based on Nazi propaganda from World War II, trying to draw a racist connection between the asiatic Russians and the Mongols, the idea of the “Mongol Horde.” Neither the Red Army during World War II nor the modern Russian Federation use human wave tactics, the closest was the Tsarist army pre-Socialism. This is ridiculous.

      As for the DPRK, seems their involvement was limited to Kursk, and munitions supplies.

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
        5·
        9 hours ago

        “Mongol Horde.”

        Funniest part is even the original narration was complete bullshit. Mongols regularily won battles against more numerous armies due to superior logistics, strategy, tactics and equipment.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
          114·
          20 hours ago

          It was relevent then, and is relevant now because opposition to Russia is filled with Russophobia. The Russian Federation doesn’t use “Human Wave” tactics, and haven’t used them. There’s no evidence of it, only allegations, and those allegations draw from their historical accusations against the Red Army, equally false.

          Denouncing anti-slavic racism isn’t “Russian apologia.” I oppose NATO expansionism and I agree with the rights of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to secede from Ukraine, which they have done due to the coup in 2014. I also support a swift conclusion to the war. If you oppose those, I doubt we will see eye to eye.

          It is telling that you refuse to “counter my nonsense,” that speaks more to a lack of ability to do so.