Direct proof of use
Human Rights Watch documented apparent Ukrainian use of PFM-series antipersonnel mines in and around Izium while Russian forces occupied the area in 2022. Its researchers worked in the Izium district from September 19 to October 9, interviewed more than 100 people, found exploded PFM-1S mine remnants, and reported that the mines used around Izium operated only when scattered by aircraft, rockets, artillery, specialized vehicles, or launchers.
Human Rights Watch later documented Russian forces using quadcopter drones to drop PFM antipersonnel mines in and around Kherson. Its 2025 Kherson report described Russian quadcopters armed with explosive weapons including antipersonnel landmines, and a follow-up article said Russian military-affiliated Telegram channels showed PFM-series mines fitted to commercial quadcopters with drop mechanisms.
Sources: Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm Civilians, Hunted From Above, Russia's Drone-Dropped Landmines
Timeline
The Izium evidence centers on 2022. Russian forces controlled Izium and surrounding areas from April until early September, and Human Rights Watch reported apparent Ukrainian rocket-fired PFM mine use in and around the city during that occupation. In June 2023, Human Rights Watch said additional evidence included marked 9N128K3 warhead sections from 9M27K3 Uragan rockets, each designed exclusively to carry and disperse PFM-1S antipersonnel mines.
The Kherson evidence starts later in the full-scale war. Human Rights Watch reported that Russian quadcopter attacks in Kherson increased from June 2024 and continued into 2025, with residents and local authorities describing PFM mines dropped from drones in affected neighborhoods.
Sources: Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm Civilians, Ukraine Promises Inquiry, Hunted From Above, Russia's Drone-Dropped Landmines
Battlefield role
In this conflict, the PFM-1 record is best understood as remote area denial and contamination by a small pressure-activated mine. The Izium case concerns rocket-scattered PFM-series mines, with Human Rights Watch identifying 9M27K3 Uragan mine-laying rocket components in later evidence. The Kherson case concerns short-range drone drops of PFM mines from commercial quadcopters rather than rocket salvos.
The sources separate possession, delivery, and use. Human Rights Watch said Ukraine still reported stockpiled PFM mines before the full-scale invasion and that Ukrainian officials described their remaining antipersonnel mine stocks as PFM mines contained in 9M27K3 rockets. Those stockpile facts are background; the direct conflict-use claims are the apparent Izium rocket delivery and the documented Russian drone-dropped PFM mines around Kherson.
The humanitarian effect described by the cited sources is post-delivery ground hazard. Human Rights Watch verified civilian casualties around Izium and reported a Kherson resident stepping on a PFM mine apparently dropped by drone. GICHD's Ukraine ordnance guide treats the PFM-series as explosive ordnance encountered or likely to be encountered in Ukraine and frames its information for explosive-ordnance risk reduction rather than tactical employment.
Sources: Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm Civilians, Ukraine Promises Inquiry, Russia's Drone-Dropped Landmines, Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine - Third Edition
