The Ottawa/Mine Ban Treaty is now 16 years old. It is here to stay and has proven to be a very effective life-saving treaty. The widespread stigma and international norm against any use of landmines is not going away. Nothing is being achieved by waiting. It is time Russia to join the treaty now. The road to Maputo leads to a world without landmines, in years not decades, and we want to see you on it.
President Vladimir Putin
Most recent statement on the treaty:
In 2010, at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, Russia stated its commitment to the objective of a mine-free world, as long as any prohibition necessarily takes into account national security considerations.
Russia has reiterated that it does not exclude the possibility of joining the treaty in the future, given it overcomes a range of technical, financial and other tasks, and that it was open to work with civil society and other NGOs on the mine issue.
Current situation in country
(from The Landmine Monitor 2013)
Mine Contamination in km²: Heavily contaminated (10- 100 km2). Mines extensively used in Chechnya. .
Number of Survivors: At least 3,144 civilian casualties (734 killed, 2410 injured) from 1994 through 2011.
UNGA resolution: Abstained in 2014. Consistently abstained in voting on all annual UNGA pro-ban resolutions.
Article 7 reports: None submitted to date.
Attendance Record at Meeting of States Parties: Did not attend Third Review Conference in 2014, in Maputo. Most recent attendance was as an observer at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in 2010 (prior to which it attended in 2003).
Russia produces, and currently stockpiles the second largest arsenal of antipersonnel mines (est. 24.5 million) in the world (bound by restrictions of Protocols of the Convention on Conventional Weapons).
Call to Action:
Mines Action Canada calls on the Russian Federation to:
- Increase participation in formal Mine Ban Treaty meetings;
- Proceed on pro-ban commitments;
- Submit voluntary transparency reports to update the landmine situation, and expand on scopes of calculating casualty and strengthening victim assistance initiatives;
- Implement a moratorium on the production and trade of antipersonnel mines;
- Accede to the Mine Ban Treaty.
Counting Down the Dirty Thirty-Five of the Mine Ban Treaty 
President Putin,
How would you feel if one of your cuddly tiger cubs stepped on a mine or cluster bomb and lost is limb or life? This is what is happening to humans in war-torn countries. It is time that Russia was seen to be supporting the Ottawa convention against mines and cluster bomgs!