When deployed from aircraft or dropped, a small parachute opens. If it lands on soft ground, it buries itself; when it hits a hard surface, a mechanism activates six pillars, sets them upright, and sinks a seismic sensor. The TOM-3 mine, often called a coin mine, observes people as they pass for the next 24 hours. If footsteps are detected near a target, it detonates, sending a cloud of rings into the air and scattering shrapnel. Within a 16-meter radius, the outcome is deadly.
The TOM-3 is one of the most banned weapons in the world. Russia, which has used it on the Ukrainian battlefield, is not among the 156 countries that would be affected by the ban, because it did not sign the Ottawa Treaty, also known as the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mines Ban and Destruction Convention. Ukraine, however, approved the agreement.
On March 31, the Ukrainian Defense General Staff stated, warning about the presence of Medallion Mines and documenting their discovery for the first time with photographs in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
The use of TOM-3s was condemned by Human Rights Watch analysts a couple of days earlier, following observations by bomb disposal technicians in Ukraine.
The NGO report links the dispersal of these mines to a Russian rocket launcher, ISDM Zemledelie-I, which is described as capable of firing POM-3 mines from distances of five to 15 kilometers. The HRW report recalls that in November 2020 Russia told the United Nations General Assembly that it shared the aims of the anti-personnel mine ban and supports a mine-free world, yet considered anti-personnel mines an effective means to secure borders from its perspective.
death clusters
In Ukraine, authorities are calling for testimonies and evidence about such devices used against civilians. Representatives from Spanish NGOs joined Ukraine to contribute to a future international case, informing this newspaper. HRW’s latest report notes that TOM-3s were used in the Donbas region prior to the 2022 invasion and have appeared in Syria and Libya clashes as well, often correlating with Russian military presence in those conflicts.
Public accusations of weapons that violate European military norms have circulated beyond Russia. The broader debate includes discussion about Russian bombings and a space-borne weapon described as turning oxygen in the attacked area into flames.
The concerns about mines in the Ukraine invasion are tied to a broader effort to reorganize Russian forces to retreat toward Donbas. The use of cluster munitions is not new to this conflict and has drawn attention from various NGOs and the United Nations.
There is an international convention signed by about 100 countries that prohibits the production, storage, and use of cluster munitions. It went into effect in August 2010 and has since been ratified by many signatories.
Former Chilean president and UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet issued a report on March 31 indicating that Russia used cluster munitions multiple times, including against civilian populations in Ukraine. By late March, she stated there was reliable information about possible use of such materials by Ukraine as well.
hectares destroyed
Cluster munitions deploy explosive capsules after air release. Their low accuracy, with an average error rate around 30%, and their tendency to harm non-combatants have driven international efforts to ban their use. An expert on weapons intervention from the Civil Guard notes that these weapons do not discriminate and place civilians at risk.
In the Russian context, the most documented examples of cluster bombs have appeared in rocket launchers rather than through aircraft. The BM-21 Grad, BM-27 Uragan, and BM-30 Smerch systems are cited by defense analysts as capable of delivering cluster munitions over large areas.
Six launch systems armed with cluster munitions can affect several hectares, potentially destroying buildings, vehicles, and lives depending on proximity and impact.
The oligarch’s bombs
Russia preserved an industrial edge in cluster munitions by maintaining production. A memo from the Sputnik agency, corroborated by multiple outlets, suggested that around 2017 Russia exported SPBE-K and RBK-500 projectiles with munitions that could be released from aircraft without triggering enemy air defenses.
Techmash, a large Russian explosives and chemical products complex, was integrated into the Rostec defense holding company. This consolidation linked to a Russian oligarch who has faced sanctions in Europe and the United States. Rostec itself subsidiaries around 700 factories and workshops, including a major Kalashnikov plant. The oligarch, a former KGB officer who spent time in East Germany in the 1980s, has faced sanctions and travel restrictions in recent years.