Russian army booby-trapped passport has claimed its first confirmed victim.
First confirmation has come a Russian army booby trapped passport alike IED (Improvised Explosive Device) has claimed its first victim – hand of a man has been blown off by the device.
The tradition to mime random household items to increase casualties among the civilians has been official Red Army tradition since 1939. Such tactic was widespread during WWII but became world known when Soviet Union developed such explosives system to the new lever which were used during the Afghanistan occupation. The most famous of them is the butterfly shaped mine PFM-1 distributed by rocker artillery shells which cannot be deactivated. It led to many deaths but mainly severed feet and hands. The mine had no purpose other than maim civilians despite the fact their proper use would have been anti-personal barrier. There’s no recorded use of PFM-1 for that purpose.
The fact people are surprised Russian army has left so many booby-trapped items and IEDs is nothing new. Even the fact they have brought custom made IEDs shows the approach of sawing devastation among civilians is official conduct of the armed forces. Western democracies have not paid attention to the events during 1st and 2nd Chechen War as that was common. The 3rd hot phases of Russia’s 8-year war of genocide on Ukraine marks the need to have great creativity in discovering news ways of booby-trapped household items and mined passport holder is one of such novelties.
The indications of Russian army have laid various booby-trapped items around had arrived on March 25 as by that moment it had been suffice for Russian army combatants start to mine the occupied territories. The very first indication of finding the IED passport holder was made public on 2 days later when first settlements have started to be liberated and this is the moment when the IEDs are being found. Within three weeks Russian army had managed to render the occupied territories into the playground for the sappers before civilians could come back.
A passport left by Russian army was booby trapped.https://t.co/GxEsG3Io19
— SA Vabaallikate demokraatia fond (@ValdefOrg) March 27, 2022
The confirmation of first casualty came from a personal communication between known in Ukraine persons from which one is a volunteer since 2014. It was her private conversation that brought to the daylight the first confirmation. The conversation is authentic and she confirmed she made it public because it was shocking ever for her.
A person who lost his passport prior the Russian army entered his settlement lived through the occupation. Meanwhile the snow melted which gave hope he might find. He and the person who messaged both went to look for the lost passport. He noticed something on the ground, picked it up and the explosion tore his hand off. The person who messaged did it from the shock to warn such things are real and it happened in-font of her eyes.
New type of mines (IED) (are around). A guy in our village lost his hand today. Saw with my eyes. (First) we didn’t have them (Russian army) luckily. Right when Russians entered, we went around the settlement territory to take off all the direction street signs to disorient. A that moment a friend of mine lost his passport. Snow went away, we went to search for. The guy just lost his hand to it.
The tragedy happened 3 days after first indications of such IED being left by the Russian Armed Forces.
This won’t be the last such incident. This is one of rare incidents where the details have emerged. This is a rare moment when such tragedy was documented.
The war in Ukraine shows Russia conducts on state level a war doctrine that includes mass casualties among civilians by booby trapping similar household items to increase the change them maiming the targeted person of interest.
https://twitter.com/dobrazlapani/status/1509229966315171848
