Poland has formally withdrawn from the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty (also known as the Ottawa Convention), announcing it will deploy both antipersonnel and anti-tank landmines to defend its eastern border against what it describes as a growing threat from Russia. The country's Deputy Defence Minister confirmed the move on Friday, February 20, 2026. The Ottawa Convention, signed by over 160 countries, prohibits the stockpiling and use of antipersonnel mines — weapons widely condemned for causing civilian casualties long after conflicts end, as seen in Cambodia, Angola, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.