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By Michael Drummond, foreign journalist

President Joe Biden has agreed to send anti-personnel mines to Ukraine as he tries to boost support for Kiev in his final days in office.

Its use is banned by more than 150 countries, but notably not by the US and Russia.

What are anti-personnel mines?

Landmines are explosive devices hidden on the ground and designed to detonate when enemy forces pass over or near them.

Some are built to destroy armored vehicles (anti-tank mines), while others are built to hurt enemy forces (anti-personnel mines).

They can be used for a range of purposes, including protecting facilities, preparing an ambush, forcing enemy forces to travel a narrow route where firepower can be concentrated, and covering a retreat.

Some landmines are time-limited, meaning they no longer work after a certain amount of time has passed, but others can remain dangerous for decades after they are laid.

Why are they controversial?

Anti-personnel landmines are indiscriminate and harm both military and civilian personnel, and can leave victims with life-long injuries. Often they are intended to maim, rather than kill, in order to overwhelm an enemy’s logistical and medical resources.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says anti-personnel mines “leave a long-lasting legacy of death, injury and suffering.”

It adds: “Mine contamination makes it impossible to use large areas of land, endangering food production and destroying livelihoods. The impact of anti-personnel landmines on communities often lasts decades.”

The anti-personnel mines reportedly being supplied by the US are “non-persistent” and become inert after a predetermined period, a US official said.

However, the Red Cross says that even these ‘smart’ mines “indiscriminately endanger civilians while being activated.”

Are they legal?

More than 150 countries, including Britain, have pledged to ban their use, production, stockpiling and transfer through the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Treaty.

It is striking, however, that some major powers, such as the US, Russia and China, have not signed the treaty.

Ukraine has signed the treaty, but has indicated that it could withdraw from the treaty out of military necessity.

Have landmines been used in Ukraine before?

The US has supplied Ukraine with anti-tank mines throughout the war, but the addition of anti-personnel mines is a change.

Since 2022 – the year of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine – Putin’s forces have used at least 13 types of anti-personnel landmines, according to the Associated Press.

Russia has never signed the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Treaty, but its use of such mines is considered a violation of its obligations under international law.

A 2023 report from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines also stated that Ukrainian forces may have used anti-personnel landmines in violation of the convention in and around the city of Izium in 2022, when the city was under Russian control.