Mirno R Pasquali: Landmines illustrate intricacies of war in Ukraine

During the drive to Dnipro last week, we were diverted through some small towns along now torn up roads due to tanks and heavy artillery passing over them. It was raining, muddy, and we were stuck in a traffic jam next to a large, industrial train station. Stations such as these have been targeted regularly, and the military presence here surely made it a potential target.

With the station to our left, I noticed that the spring weather had coaxed purple, yellow and white flowers to sprout through the forest floor just to our right. The rich soil here makes it not only a breadbasket for the world, but an incredible diversity of plants, trees, and flowers. Yet this forest was off limits, as are many others are now, marked by the skull and crossbones indicating the presence of mines, or unexploded explosive weapons. We passed the time laughing at stories of unsuccessful dates, and nervously watching the traffic inch forward.

This past week, our teams started demining in areas north of Kyiv. Not only are we pulling mines out of the ground, but are safely disposing of unexploded weapons which litter these formerly residential areas. As a main activity of our organization, we are well aware of the impact that mines have, and will have, for the future. It took us two years to demine an area roughly the size of 100 football fields — in a country the size of Ukraine, this doesn’t cover much. Due to the current conflict, this area is likely to need demining once again.

After years and millions of dollars spent on research and development by both private companies and governments, mines, cluster bombs and the like are very good at what they are designed to do — to be able maim and kill indiscriminately for decades. These weapons can last for years; mines from World War II still occasionally are found to be active.

Responding to mines is difficult. Demining is expensive, slow, and dangerous. Demining Ukraine will cost billions, and will take years once the conflict ends. But this isn't all. Not only must we demine, but must scale up all the services which must respond to mine related incidents — specialized medical services, psychological support for victims, their families and their communities. Not only this, but we must deal with the economic impacts of having large swaths of unusable land.

If we don’t work to prevent their use in the first place, we are being shortsighted. The International Mine Ban Treaty, signed in 1997 to ban anti-personnel mines, is an example of a successful arms ban. It was signed by 164 nations, and led to a significant decrease in their use globally. Not enough however, and unfortunately, the United States has refused to sign the treaty, along with Russia and China. The U.S., to our credit, has enacted legislation preventing their use and manufacturing, however the Trump administration in 2020 rolled back this legislation for specific types of weapons, and the Biden administration has yet to reenact previous commitments. A ban is only as strong as its signatories, and for the leadership of the U.S. to join a global ban on a weapon is important to curtail their use globally.

Why do I focus on mines? They are only one, small element of the war here, yet trying to grasp and understand all of the immediate and long term impacts that war has on a society and a society’s psyche is almost impossible. I find this one way to untangle the complicated impacts that war has, and how complicated it is to respond to one. Finally, it helps me empathize — I think of our mountains, forests and fields, and how I move through them with such ease.

Soon, we will have an insight into the next phase of the conflict. There are a barrage of strikes throughout the country. Over the past few days, we have felt it in Lviv, where I am writing. Due to increased strikes, we are taking these sirens more seriously and spend a few hours each night in the basement of the hotel where we are staying. Luckily nothing has hit the center of Lviv, however other cities have not been so lucky.

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Mirno Robert Pasquali is currently working in Ukraine with the Danish Refugee Council, a humanitarian aid organization. Since 2013, he has worked in Jordan, Tanzania, Iraq, Bangladesh and Yemen. Mirno is a 2007 graduate of Laconia High School.