Ukrainian troops found hidden “butterfly” mines in the 2nd Largest city of Ukraine.
Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova has shared the news that Ukrainian troops had found anti-personnel mines in the Kharkiv region, the 2nd biggest city of Ukraine and he has shared a chilling insight about the Butterfly mines.
Early on in the invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials claimed that the Russians were using PFM-1 air-dropped anti-personnel mines. Also known as butterfly mines, petals, green parrots, or even soviet toys of death.
These small plastic munitions, each weighing less than two ounces, are scattered by the thousand over a wide area. These mines are also prohibited by the Geneva Convention.
On her Facebook post, Venediktova warned the people that the mines were being dropped in cluster bombs, and said that while the color of it may vary, they are about the size of a finger but have the power to blow a leg off anyone who will dare to step on it.
Dean Gloster, a former war correspondent, has taken to Twitter to share some comments about the butterfly mines based on his own experience.
He said: “About the butterfly mines the Russians dropped outside Mariupol to kill and injure fleeing civilians. A thread. Once in 1986 in Peshawar, near the border of Afghanistan, when I was an alleged freelance journalist, a guy tossed a deactivated butterfly mine at my chest.”
He said that he is familiar with these kinds of mines and they describe them as toe poppers which are designed to blow off a leg or an arm of its victim instead of killing it.
Gloster explained he did not reach to grab the mine after having been warned “by no fewer than three people” that he could expect one to be thrown at him in greeting.
He said that even though the explosive had been removed from the mine, he still feared having his finger blown off by the igniter. He claimed that Russians created this kind of mine because “a wounded colleague slows people more than a dead one”.
When it comes to the mines being dropped by Russia from aircraft, Gloster described how they “disperse” as they flutter to the ground and prove “particularly interesting to children, because they resemble plastic toys”.
He went on to describe the mines being dropped by Russians in Ukraine as a “deliberate maiming of children”, a thought which is “horrific and unconscionable”.
They are now reported to have been dropped to block evacuation routes out of Mariupol. Butterfly mines have their origin in the U.S., these munitions were originally designed to stop supply convoys and are now known for maiming children.
The mines come in several colors, including the bright green version which gave it the “green parrot” nickname. Lying by the road, it might be a toy bird or airplane. In Afghanistan, where literally millions were dropped, they were often picked up by children.
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