The U.S. will provide Ukraine with landmines to help slow the advance of attacking Russian and North Korean troops, an announcement that comes as the American Embassy in Kyiv is warning citizens of the potential for “significant” air attacks in the coming days.
The most recent aid package to the war torn eastern European country, the 70th made by the United States, includes hundreds of millions in munitions, arms, equipment – and mines.
“The United States has announced a new support package worth $275 million. It includes drones, ammunition for HIMARS and artillery, and — critically — essential mines to stop Russian assaults. This will significantly strengthen our troops on the front lines,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday in a video address. “Ukraine deeply values the bipartisan support from America and the decision of President Biden.”
The additional military aid comes just days after the Biden Administration loosened rules it had put in place for Ukraine regarding their use of long-range precision weaponry against targets in Russia. It wasn’t long before Ukraine launched six rockets at Russian military assets using a U.S. made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the change in the ground rules of the war with policy changes of his own, saying Tuesday that his country would lower the threshold for when it might respond to an attack with nuclear weapons.
“We will consider such a possibility when we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack assets and them crossing our state border,” Putin said, before specifying use of “strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other flying vehicles” might be met with a nuclear response.
The mines given to Ukraine are battery operated and become inert hours or weeks after they are activated, limiting civilian exposure. The United States is one of the few countries that is not part of the 1997 Ottawa Convention, a treaty that aims to end the use of landmines. Russia, along with China, India, North and South Korea, and Pakistan, also did not sign the treaty.
As a result of the war started by Russia, Ukraine is already one of the most heavily mined territories in the world, NATO declared earlier this year, and Human Rights Watch reports about a third of the country is heavily mined.
According to the Department of Defense, Wednesday’s aid package also included High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) ammunition; 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds; Unmanned Aerial Systems; Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; small arms and ammunition; demolitions equipment and munitions; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment; spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.
“This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package, which has an estimated value of $275 million, will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including munitions for rocket systems and artillery and anti-tank weapons,” the DoD said in a release.
Also on Wednesday, the State Department issued a warning for U.S. civilians in Ukraine and closed the embassy in Kyiv due to the threat of Russian attacks against the capital.
“The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20. Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced,” they wrote.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for more than 1,000 days.
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