Butterfly Mine

In News 

• In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russia is alleged to have used the controversial ‘Butterfly Mine’ which is an anti-personnel mine and is deployed to deter the freedom movement of the forces along the enemy line.

About 

• The PFM-1 and PFM-1S are two kinds of anti-personnel landmines that are commonly referred to as ‘Butterfly mines’ or ‘Green Parrots’. 
• These names are derived from the shape and colour of the mines. 
• The main difference between the PFM-1 and PFM-1S mine is that the latter comes with a self destruction mechanism which gets activated within one to 40 hours.
• Specifications 
  • It is very sensitive to touch and just the act of picking it up can set it off.
  • Because of the relatively lesser explosive packed in this small mine, it often injures and maims the handler rather than killing them. 
    • These mines are also difficult to detect because they are made of plastic and can evade metal detectors.
  • These mines can be deployed in the field of action through several means, which include being dropped from helicopters or through ballistic dispersion using artillery and mortar shells. 

Kind of mines are allowed by international law

• The anti personnel mines are banned by international convention on land lines but Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to it. 
  • However, there is a 1996 Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons-the Landlines Protocol to which Russia and Ukraine are signatories.

Source:IE