When fired or dropped by an aircraft, it opens a small parachute. If it falls on soft ground, it buries itself; when dropped on a hard floor, a mechanism activates the six pillars, fixing them vertically and sinking a seismic sensor. Russian mine for the next 24 hours TOM-3 will keep an eye on people’s passing. If it detects footsteps near a victim, it explodes into the air. a cloud of exploding rings this will scatter shrapnel. Within a radius of 16 meters, death is certain.
TOM 3, nickname “coin mines”One of the most banned weapons in the world, but Russia, the country that used them on the Ukrainian battlefield, is not one of the 156 countries that could be affected by the ban. Didn’t sign the Ottawa Treaty, more commonly referred to as the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mines Ban and Destruction Convention. Ukraine approved.
On March 31, the Ukrainian Defense General Staff said, “Warning! Medallion Mines!” documented the discovery of such weapons for the first time with images in the Kharkov and Sumy provinces.
The use of TOM-3s was also condemned two days ago and in Berlin by Human Rights Watch (HRW) analysts regarding observations of bomb disposal technicians in Ukraine.
The NGO report attributes the dispersal of these mines to a Russian rocket launcher. “ISDM Zemledelie-I that fires POM-3 mines from 5 to 15 kilometers away”, he assures. The HRW complaint recalls: “In November 2020, Russia submitted to the United Nations General Assembly that it ‘shared the aims of the agreement and supports a mine-free world’, but considers antipersonnel mines “an effective way to guarantee safety”. from the borders of Russia.
death clusters
ukrainian government call now, collect and order testimonies and evidence of such devices being used against civilians Representatives of Spanish NGOs united with Ukraine to contribute to them in a later international case against Russia inform this newspaper. HRW concludes its latest report on the Russian TOM-3 by reminding that it has found that it was used in the war in Donbas before the invasion of Ukraine, and also consecutively. Syria and Libya conflicts“it often coincides with the Russian military presence that is party to these conflicts.”
Public accusations regarding the use of weapons unacceptable to all armies of Europe Outside of Russia (neither China nor the United States), he followed the well-known debate about the Russian bombing of Ukrainian facilities. space bombwhich turns all the oxygen in the attacked area into flames.
The complaint about the use of mines in the invasion of Ukraine is part of the reorganization of Russian troops to protect their retreat to Donbas.
It belongs not only to this stage, but also to the first attack. use of cluster weapons. The complaint is not only supported by one of the parties or an NGO, but also by the United Nations.
An international convention signed by 100 countries prohibits its production, storage and use. It entered into force in August 2010 and was subsequently ratified by 30 of the signatories.
Former President of Chile, UN Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle BacheletOn March 31, he published an issue from his own department, according to which Russia used cluster munitions 24 times not only against its armed forces, but also against Ukraine: against the civilian population.
At the end of March, Bachelet said she had “reliable information” about the possible use of such materials by Ukraine.
hectares destroyed
Cluster munitions are fired in shell casings at some point in their flight. they explode open, releasing powerful explosive capsules. Its low accuracy, with an average error rate of 30%, and its high probability of influencing non-combatants during and after the attack prompted the international community to encourage its ban. “It does not discriminate because of its methodology: it spreads and eventually civilians pay”Explains an expert on weapons intervention from the Civil Guard.
In the case of Russia, this most documented type of bomb was mostly deployed not by aviation but by its typical characteristics. BM21 Grand, BM27 Uragan and BM30 Smerch rocket launchersAs analysts from the Department of Defense spoke.
The batteries of six of these rocket launchers, which fire cluster munitions, can impact an area of several hectares, destroying buildings, vehicles, batteries and, of course, people.
The oligarch’s bombs
In terms of cluster munitions, Russia gained an industrial advantage over the rest of Europe by not banning their production. According to a memo of the Sputnik agency compiled by various media outlets, in 2017 the Russian firm Techmash, Export of prepared SPBE-K and RBK-500 pumps, Projectiles with 54 ammunition were sold with the advantage that they could be shot down by an aircraft without entering the area covered by the enemy air defense.
Tecmash a 48 ammunition factory complex, explosives and military chemical products, in turn, were integrated into the Rostec defense holding company, which led the Russian oligarch, sanctioned in Europe and the United States Serguei Chemezov.
700 Russian public and semi-private factories and workshops are affiliated with Rostec, including. Kalashnikov arsenal. Chemezov was a KGB agent and Vladimir Putin in East Germany in the 1980s. yate Valerie, It has been immobilized in Barcelona by the government since March 15.