Invoking its security concerns linked to neighboring Russia, Lithuania announced on Thursday, March 6, that it left an international convention prohibiting bombs with submunitions. Vilnius says he wants, in doing so, strengthening his defense capacities, fearing to be the next target if the Russian Federation prevailed in the conflict caused by his large -scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Baltic country of 2.8 million inhabitants, annexed by the Soviet Union until 1990, reported its intention to also withdraw from an international treaty which prohibits the use of anti -personnel mines.
“Russia uses all the means available in a conventional war, and this shows that we must act to ensure effective deterrence and defense”Said this week at the France-Presse (AFP) agency, Karolis Aleksa, Vice-Minister of Lithuanian Defense. “Withdrawing from the Convention gives us the possibility of increasing the efficiency of our defense against large surface targets”he added.
The Lithuanian parliament had given the green light to leave the convention on submunition bombs in July 2024, but Vilnius was to wait six months after submitting documents required to the UN for the measure to take effect.
This decision makes Lithuania the first country to leave the Convention, adopted in 2008, and the first country of the European Union to leave a multilateral armament regulatory agreement. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the Convention, and both used submunition bombs.
“A dangerous trend”
This decision aroused strong criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International described it as “Disastrous” And Human Rights Watch judged it “Alarming”The two non -governmental organizations (NGO) warning that this measure could endanger lives of civilians. The submunition bombs can be dropped by an airplane or from the ground by artillery, explode outdoors and disperse submunitions on a large area. “Deterrence and defense are the most effective when you have it and when you know how to use them”And insists on Mr. Aleksa.
Many countries have given up submunition bombs because they represent a lasting threat, many not detonating and ultimately acting as terrestrial mines which risk exploding years later. The Convention-known as “D’Oslo”-has 112 states parties and 12 other signatories, and prohibits the use, transfer, production and storage of submunition bombs. Signed in December 2008 in the Norwegian capital, it had entered into force on 1East August 2010.
The NGO Handicap International (HI), a founding member of the coalition against submunition bombs, asked Vilnius to return to its decision. This one “Open the way to a dangerous trend because it could encourage other countries to reconsider their commitments to humanitarian disarmament treaties, especially during increased concerns in terms of security”I declared Alma Taslidzan de Hi in a press release. “The Oslo Convention has proven to be effective to protect civilians from this blind weapon”she added.
Decision suspended on anti -personnel mines
But, according to Karolis Aleksa, Lithuania will take “All necessary measures” To limit the negative effects of submunition bombs, in particular by providing for collecting unploded ammunition as soon as possible after any military operation. “Submunition bombs have immense destructive power, and special attention will be paid to the internal rules of their use”he assured.
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Vilnius also plans to leave another agreement prohibiting anti -personnel mines. The army and the Ministry of Defense supported this initiative, but the government has suspended its decision, the time to see if the regional allies would take similar measures.
The president’s national security adviser, Marius Cesnulevicius, said in February that a final decision could take several months. The Finnish army has been examining since the summer of 2024, the question of whether anti -personnel mines should be reintroduced or not, but no decision has yet been made.
