DONETSK, July 9. /TASS/. More than 120 people, including 10 children, received various injuries after stepping on Lepestok anti-personnel landmines in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), acting DPR head Denis Pushilin told TASS on Saturday.
"[Ukraine] still continues to use all munitions at its disposal against the civilian population of Donbass, including cluster munitions," he said. "Warfare that involves violations of the international law is a routine practice for Ukrainian armed groups and their commanders."
"For example, they continue to scatter Lepestok anti-personnel landmines. By now, these munitions have been responsible for three deaths and 122 injuries on the territory of the DPR. Ten of those injured were minors," Pushilin added.
Ukrainian troops are known to systematically scatter Lepestok landmines in the populated areas of the DPR. The PFM-1 Lepestok is a pressure-activated anti-personnel landmine that can be deployed from mortars. These mines are camouflage-colored, which makes them hard to detect. They are prohibited under the Ottawa Treaty, formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, which Ukraine ratified in 2005.
The latest incident involving a Lepestok anti-personnel landmine in the DPR occurred on July 6. The victim, a man born in 1977, was hospitalized with various injuries.