On July 12, around noon, a 55-year-old tractor driver was wounded by an explosive device left by the occupiers on the outskirts of Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast.

That was reported by the Main Department of the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv Oblast.

“An enemy explosive device blew up a utility company’s tractor. The tractor driver was injured. He was hospitalized. The incident happened when the tractor operator was mowing grass on the side of the road,” the message reads.

Law enforcement officers and the Prosecutor’s Office are working on the spot. A pre-trial investigation on violations of the laws and customs of war has been started.

PFM-1 anti-personnel mine

PFM-1 is one of the most widespread anti-personnel mines that Russians leave in the occupied territories in forests, around roads, trails, parks, and even in the yards of private houses.

This land mine is a high-explosive anti-personnel landmine produced by the Soviet Union and Russia. It has several names, including the Green Parrot and the Butterfly Mine. These mines can be scattered from helicopters, combat aircraft, and mortars. They glide to the ground without detonating and only explode upon contact.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the international community adopted the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention prohibiting the use, production, stockpiling, and transferring of these weapons and requiring action to prevent and address their long-lasting effects.

Earlier: On July 4, a 70-year-old woman hit a mine on the territory of the Pisky forestry in the Izium district.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more news, stories, and field reports by Kharkiv journalists.