It’s thought the weapons could help slow the advance of Putin’s troops in the east of Ukraine. (Image: Getty)
US President Joe Biden has approved provision of anti-personnel land mines to , a US official has said, potentially handing a major boost to Kyiv’s war-weary forces.
That’s according to an unnamed US official cited by , in move that could help slow the advance of Putin’s troops in the east of , especially when used along with other munitions provided by Washington.
The US expects to use the mines within its own territory and Kyiv has committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
This development in the conflict, which has raged on since launched a full scale invasion of in February 2022, was first reported by The Washington Post.
and Moscow, as well as their respective defense ministries, are yet to comment.
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Putin has issued a stark warning (Image: Getty)
The US has been providing with anti-tank mines throughout the war, but the addition of anti-personnel mines aims at blunting the advance of the Kremlin’s ground troops, the official said.
Unlike ‘s mines, the one’s being provided by the US are “non-persistent,” becoming inert after a preset period, as per the insider. They require a battery to explode, and won’t do so once the battery has run out.
Ukrainian media has said Kyiv used to strike inside for the first time just as approved a new Russian nuclear doctrine.
Explosions were reportedly seen at an ammunition depot in Karachev, some 75 miles from the Ukrainian border, as marked the 1000th day of the conflict for the first time.
[REPORT]
” as it once more attempted to use its nuclear capabilities to intimidate Kyiv’s Western allies.
Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, said on Tuesday: “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against it with the use of conventional weapons.”
The Russian President has issued a decree allowing Russian nuclear weapons to be deployed against a non-nuclear force if it was backed up by a nuclear-armed nation – for example, backed by the United States.
It comes after months of warnings that if the US allowed to launch American, British and French missiles deep into , Moscow would consider the NATO members directly involved in the conflict.
It is understood that strikes in will require US permission before launch and will predominately be targeted towards North Korean troops in ‘s Kursk region, as pushes Kyiv’s offensive there backwards.