The PFM-1 mine (high-explosive anti-personnel mine) was developed in 1975 and is an almost exact copy of the American BLU-43 / B Dragontooth mine (“Dragon’s Tooth”), called the “leg breaker” and is widely used in Vietnam. The peculiarity of this mine is that it does not kill a person, but injures him. As a result, transporting the wounded deprives a few more soldiers of the opportunity to fight.
The Soviet “Petal” was tested in Afghanistan, where it was actively used to block crossings and sections of the Pakistani border at the initial stage of the Soviet-Afghan war.
“Soviet designers did not try much. The PFM-1 is a one-on-one BLU-43/B. The same form, principle of operation, color, – Sergei Belousov, a member of the College of Military Specialists, told socialbites.ca. – I was holding already cleared mines, Soviet and American. They are indistinguishable. Mina is also known in military circles by the name “frog” – in shape and green color, it is similar to amphibians.
The PFM-1 mine weighs 80 g, the mass of liquid explosive is 37 g, and its dimensions are 12 x 6.5 cm. It is quite difficult to detect in the grass, especially if it is standing on the edge and is seen as a mine. an ordinary piece of plastic. Pressing at 5-20 kg. enough to trigger the explosion mechanism.
In 1997, Russia stopped the production of Lepestkov, including those with a self-destruct function.
The use of “leaves” and the accumulation of stocks were prohibited under the 1999 Ottawa Treaty. Both Moscow and Kyiv signed this agreement. According to open sources, about 3.5 million such mines are at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is not known how many of them remained in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and whether they remained at all.
“The issue of laying minefields in Afghanistan was fraught with the possibility for Soviet troops to be blown up in their own land mines,” the commander of the air regiment in Afghanistan told socialbites.ca, the former commander of the Air Force. retired Colonel General Georgy Shpak. – The digger units had detailed maps of previous mining operations, literally in squares and filmed what the neighbors were putting. With the “Frogs” it was more difficult, they were bombed by hundreds that were almost impossible to completely detect. Therefore, the main rule in war was the need to look under your feet. Later, “Leaves” appeared, along with the self-liquidating ones – they closed the throats with them and after a few days they blew up. Cases of undermining Soviet soldiers in such mines were isolated.
The peculiarity of the “leaves” lies in the method of installation, which can be carried out both by Su-25 attack aircraft and shells of various artillery systems, capable of covering an area of one hectare with 64 mines. falls chaotically due to free planning and deviates 100-200 meters from the target.
“During the 2008 war with Georgia, mines of this class were not used,” Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulev, the former commander of the 58th Army, told socialbites.ca. – We had an offensive operation and there was no need to lay a minefield. During the first campaign in Chechnya, they were used locally to block the straits, but were eliminated and did not pose a threat to the local population.
Mines “Petal” have recently been actively used on the territory of the DPR and LPR. Independent observers and journalists recorded their presence on the streets of Donetsk. According to DPR officials, more than 40 people were injured from these mines.
Official Kyiv does not comment on the use of the PFM-1. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “the use of anti-personnel mines against civilians, like any other weapon, is unacceptable for any party to the conflict.”
“Petal mines sent greetings from Afghanistan to Donbass. This is a very terrible weapon, but in fairness it must be admitted that both the “Leaves” of the USSR and the USA still use Dragontooth mines on the battlefield – in the straits or in the forests, to impede the movement of the enemy. In DPR and LPR the situation is completely different. These mines, which are forbidden to be used even against soldiers today, appear on the streets of cities. And civilians suffer from it. This is of course unacceptable,” Andrei Myagkov, a human rights activist from Donetsk, told socialbites.ca.
Source: Gazeta
