GENEVA, February 12. /TASS/. The withdrawal of the three Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), along with Poland and Finland, from the Ottawa Convention banning the use, production, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines will further erode regional security in Europe, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, told TASS.
"The exit of Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, and Helsinki from the Ottawa Convention will further undermine an already unfavorable regional security situation in Europe," the diplomat explained. According to Gatilov, the states leaving the convention are "trying to justify further militarization of their economies and territories by citing an alleged Russian threat."
However, this move came as no surprise to the Russian side and wasn’t out of the ordinary, Gatilov noted. He stressed that the regime established under the convention "is far from ideal and is not effective." The permanent representative reminded that Russia is not among the convention’s signatories. "There are several reasons for this, including unacceptable loopholes in the treaty that allow parties to bypass its prohibitions," he explained.
"Nevertheless, we continue to monitor developments within its framework, as the mine issue remains important to us. This is also why our country is a conscientious and responsible participant in a far more robust and effective instrument - the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and its relevant protocols," Gatilov added.
In spring 2025, the authorities of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, as well as Poland and Finland, announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, citing, among other factors, growing military threats to NATO countries. The official withdrawal process for the three Baltic states was finalized at the end of December 2025, and for Finland on January 10 of this year. Poland’s withdrawal is set to take effect on February 20.
The Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines entered into force in 1999 and has been joined by 164 states. According to estimates by the International Committee of the Red Cross, this type of weaponry causes a high number of civilian casualties and continues to pose risks for many years after the end of hostilities.