this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2024
116 points (96.8% liked)

World News

39096 readers
3993 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Nov 19 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has approved provision of anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, a U.S. official told Reuters, a step that could help slow Russian advances in its east, especially when used along with other munitions from the United States.

The United States expects Ukraine to use the mines in its own territory, though it has committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians, the official said. The Washington Post first reported the development.

The office of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Russian defence ministry and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests to comment.

The United States has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines throughout its war with Russia, but the addition of anti-personnel mines aims at blunting the advance of Russian ground troops, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] zante@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Cheering for land mines. A new low even for you.

[–] superkret@feddit.org 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

This is what war does to people. We're cheering for landmines and nukes, and anyone who points out how utterly insane that is, is branded as supporting the enemy.

[–] zante@slrpnk.net -5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The amount of people, particularly Americans I must say, who are hell bent on escalation, calling for nukes from the safety of 5000 miles away is disappointing.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Escalation" is when you start using a weapon that your enemy has been using since the start of the war, huh?

[–] groet@feddit.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yes.

"Both sides use warcrime weapons" is an escalation from "only one side uses warcrime weapons".

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You know, some people might regard "one side using 'warcrime weapons'" first as the escalation, not the other side deciding to follow suit.

[–] groet@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So do i. Russia escalated by invading. Russia escalated by killing civilians, targeting civilian infrastructure, kidnaping children, attacking nuclear power plants, attacking dams, attacking hospitals, (and many more times). And by using mines.

That doesn't change the fact that an escalation of the weapons used by ukraine is an escalation. That's what that word means! Russia escalated first, and many times after. They are the bad guys.

Ukraine using mines is an escalation. Arguing against that point simply means you refuse to understand the word "escalation".

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

So when Ukraine returned fire after being fired upon, that was an escalation?

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ah yes, remember how this war famously doesn't have anti-personnel landmines being widely used?

Oh? What's that? Russia is already widely using them in Ukrainian territory?

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I am all in favour for handing Ukraine the tools they need to win this war. But at the same time "the others are doing it" is no justification for a free pass on every weapon or tactic.

The Russians butchered civilians, destroyed critical civilian infrastructure and yet I'd rather prefer the Ukrainians to not do the same.

Also anti personal mines and cluster munitions from i.e. the Vietnam war are still causing crippling and death today. Using weapons that are prone to cause damage to future generations for short term gains is in my opinion short sighted. We should provide Ukraine with more "sensible" weapons in quantities that makes using cluster munitions and mines obsolete.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I am all in favour for handing Ukraine the tools they need to win this war. But at the same time “the others are doing it” is no justification for a free pass on every weapon or tactic.

No, but neither is fighting with both hands behind their backs. Anti-personnel mines remain effective, especially considering Russia's preferred tactics. Ukraine already is being attacked with chemical weapons regularly, having PoWs tortured and executed, and their civilians murdered and their children quite literally kidnapped by the Russian state, and we're gonna draw the line at 'using landmines in non-civilian areas to stop Russian advances'?

Fuck that noise.

Also anti personal mines and cluster munitions from i.e. the Vietnam war are still causing crippling and death today.

Those were also used in very different contexts. Modern cluster munitions do not have the same long-term potential for damage that Vietnam-era munitions did, and the same with landmines - especially since landmine recording protocols were updated in part because of the haphazard way they were used in Vietnam. And, for that matter, we dropped more ordnance on Vietnam than was dropped in the entirety of WW2 by the Axis AND Allies combined, all over the country. The same is not going to happen in Ukraine, neither in scale nor in type. They want to prevent the Russians from advancing along the frontlines, and are not going to use them in civilian areas.

Using weapons that are prone to cause damage to future generations for short term gains is in my opinion short sighted.

How many thousands of Ukrainians dead, maimed, tortured, or ethnically cleansed today would you consider it an insufficient short-term gain to avert?

We should provide Ukraine with more “sensible” weapons in quantities that makes using cluster munitions and mines obsolete.

And what weapons are those? What weapons would make cluster munitions and mines obsolete in the context of the current war?

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If the Russians don't want to step on mines they can just fuck off back into their borders.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The children also don't want to step on mines.

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

They need to be alive in order to be able to step on mines though.

And if Russia where to win they are also safe because they will be deported to a nice childless family in Siberia for reeducation.