Infantry Weapons

PMN-1/2/4

Also known as
  • PMN
  • PMN-1
  • PMN-2
  • PMN-4
  • Protivopekhotnaya Mina Nazhimnaya
  • Black Widow

The PMN-1/2/4 family covers Soviet and Russian pressure-activated antipersonnel blast mines used to deny foot movement and injure personnel at close range. PMN-1 and PMN-2 are Soviet designs, while PMN-4 is a later Russian circular plastic-cased mine; conflict-use records now connect PMN-family mines to Ukraine, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh-related minefields, and disputed PMN-2 incidents along the Thailand-Cambodia border.

PMN-1/2/4, Antipersonnel blast mine family, Infantry Weapons
Image source: PMN-4 Anti-Personnel Landmine in Kyiv Oblast

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Area Denial
Side
Russia

Russian forces have used PMN-family antipersonnel blast mines in Ukraine, including PMN-4 mines cleared in Sumy Oblast in April 2022 and PMN-2 mines documented in occupied residential areas of Kherson Oblast.

Role details
2014 Second Libyan Civil War
Role in conflict
Antipersonnel area denial

PMN-2 antipersonnel blast mines were documented in southern Tripoli after the 2019-2020 fighting, with Human Rights Watch reporting Russian-made PMN-2 mines claimed as used by mercenaries supporting LAAF forces and later found by mine-action groups.

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Role in conflict
Antipersonnel minefield and area denial

Post-2020 Nagorno-Karabakh-related mine reporting documented PMN-2 antipersonnel mines among Armenian-attributed mines found on territories and supply roads in 2022. Landmine Monitor noted the Azerbaijani claims and Armenia's denials, with confirmation limits outside Azerbaijani sources.

2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict
Role in conflict
Border-area antipersonnel mine hazard

Landmine Monitor and Reuters documented PMN-2 antipersonnel mines tied to the 2025 Thailand-Cambodia border crisis. Thai authorities attributed newly found mines to Cambodian forces, while Cambodian officials denied laying new mines; Reuters-cited specialists assessed photographed PMN-2 mines as likely newly laid but did not independently identify who emplaced them.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Russia
Type
Antipersonnel blast mine family
Service note
Cold War and post-Soviet service
Designer
Soviet and Russian ordnance designers
Designed
PMN-1 late 1950s; PMN-2 mid-1970s; PMN-4 early 1990s
Produced
Soviet production for PMN-1 and PMN-2; Russian PMN-4 production in the early 1990s

Specifications

Initiation
Victim-activated pressure fuze
PMN-1 dimensions
About 112 mm diameter and 56 mm high
PMN-1 explosive fill
Approximately 200 g pressed TNT
PMN-2 dimensions
About 120 mm diameter and 53 mm high
PMN-2 explosive fill
100 g TNT/RDX charge
PMN-4 dimensions
About 95 mm diameter and 46 mm high
PMN-4 explosive fill
About 55 g TG-40 explosive
PMN Family Comparison

The three designations are grouped because public conflict reports often name the family while technical sources separate the generations by size and explosive fill.

DesignationDocumented distinguishing pointsConflict-use context in this record
PMN-1Early Soviet pressure blast mine, about 112 mm diameter with roughly 200 g pressed TNT.Included for family identity and technical context; the current direct conflict rows center on PMN-2 and PMN-4 examples.
PMN-2Later Soviet pressure blast mine, about 120 mm diameter with a 100 g TNT/RDX charge.Directly documented in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh-related mine reporting, and disputed Thailand-Cambodia border mine incidents.
PMN-4Later Russian pressure-fired blast mine, about 95 mm diameter with about 55 g TG-40 explosive.Directly documented in 2014 Russia-Ukraine War mine-clearance reporting.

Sources: Mines PMN; PMN-2 Anti-Personnel Blast Mine; PMN-4 Russian Anti-Personnel Mine; Background Briefing on Landmine Use in Ukraine; Russia-Linked Landmines Threaten Lives in Libya; Reuters: Thai-Cambodia Landmines Likely Newly Laid.

Timeline

PMN-1/2/4 Key Events

  1. PMN-1 generation

    The PMN-1 branch is described in the record's technical sources as the late-1950s Soviet pressure blast mine generation with the largest explosive fill in this grouped entry.

  2. PMN-2 generation

    The PMN-2 branch followed as a later Soviet pressure blast mine and is the variant directly documented in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh-related reporting, and the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis.

  3. PMN-4 Russian generation

    The PMN-4 branch represents the later Russian member in this entry; U.S. Army ODIN lists its smaller body and TG-40 explosive fill.

  4. PMN-4 mines cleared in Sumy Oblast

    Human Rights Watch documented PMN-4 antipersonnel mines cleared in Sumy Oblast during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

  5. PMN-2 border incidents reported

    Thailand reported PMN-2 mines during the 2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict; Reuters later published specialist assessments that photographed examples were likely newly laid, while attribution remained disputed.

Media

PMN-1/2/4 Videos

PMN-1/2/4 Images

PMN-1/2/4, Antipersonnel blast mine family, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: PMN-2 Mine Wikimedia Commons
Related Weapon Systems
MON-series anti-personnel mine, Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine family, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-series anti-personnel mineDirectional fragmentation anti-personnel mine familyThe MON series is a Soviet/Russian family of directional fragmentation anti-personnel mines, including MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, and MON-200 patterns that project preformed fragments across a defined sector. Monitoring groups identify the family in Russian mine warfare in Ukraine and in Russian-linked Tripoli minefields in Libya, while the Nagorno-Karabakh record is narrower and rests on postwar MON-50 clearance reporting.
MON-50, Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-50Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mineThe MON-50 is a Soviet directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine broadly comparable in role to the M18 Claymore, with a plastic body, folding legs, and a forward fragmentation pattern. It can be command-detonated or configured with tripwire and other fuzing, making it a compact infantry obstacle and ambush munition. Direct monitoring sources document MON-50 use by Russian or Russian-aligned forces in eastern Ukraine, the full-scale Russia-Ukraine War, and the 2019-2020 Tripoli fighting in Libya.
POMZ-2, Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsPOMZ-2Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mineThe POMZ-2 is a Soviet stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mine built around a serrated cast-iron body, TNT charge, and pull-fuze tripwire. Its simple above-ground layout made the mine a persistent legacy hazard: cataloged use now spans Soviet mine warfare in Afghanistan, Vietnamese forces in the 1955 Vietnam War, Nagorno-Karabakh stockpiles and defensive minefields, and a limited 2011 Syrian Civil War indication tied to Syrian government forces.
MON-90, Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-90Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mineThe MON-90 is a Soviet-designed directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine and the 90 m member of the MON family between the smaller MON-50 and larger MON-100. Technical references describe a plastic-bodied, tree-spike-mounted mine with about 2,000 steel fragments, two M-10 threaded fuze wells, and command or tripwire initiation depending on setup. Direct monitoring sources place MON-90 mines in Russian use in Ukraine after the 2022 invasion and in Russian-linked Tripoli mine contamination during the Second Libyan Civil War.

Sources

Russian Federation Mine Ban PolicyPublisher: Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor | Note: Supports Russian production/background context and 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use: PMN-2 and PMN-4 pressure-initiated antipersonnel blast mines used by Russia in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Background Briefing on Landmine Use in UkrainePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Direct 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use source documenting PMN-4 antipersonnel mines used by Russian forces and cleared in Sumy Oblast in April 2022. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine/Russia: The Use of Anti-Personnel Mines in Occupied Residential AreasPublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Direct 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use source documenting PMN-2 antipersonnel mines used by Russian forces in Bezimenne, Kherson Oblast, and a civilian injury linked to a PMN-2 mine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Russia-Linked Landmines Threaten Lives in LibyaPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Direct 2014 Second Libyan Civil War conflict-use source documenting Russian-made PMN-2 antipersonnel mines used by mercenaries supporting LAAF forces around Tripoli. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Libya: Landmines, Other War Hazards, Killing CiviliansPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Direct 2014 Second Libyan Civil War conflict-use source documenting PMN-2 antipersonnel mines used in the 2019-2020 conflict and found in southern Tripoli after the fighting. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Armenia Mine Ban PolicyPublisher: Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor | Note: Direct 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict source reporting Azerbaijani claims that PMN-2 antipersonnel mines were used by Armenian forces in 2020-2022 conflict-related minefields; notes Armenian denials and confirmation limits. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Azerbaijan UN Letter on Armenia-Produced LandminesPublisher: United Nations Digital Library | Note: Direct 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict source transmitting Azerbaijan's report that PMN-2 antipersonnel mines were fielded by Armenia in Lachin, Kalbajar, and Dashkasan after the 2020 ceasefire. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Landmine Monitor 2025 Online ReaderPublisher: Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor | Note: Direct 2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict source reporting Thai allegations of Cambodian PMN-2 mine use, related injuries, Cambodian denials, and treaty-investigation context. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Reuters: Thai-Cambodia Landmines Likely Newly LaidPublisher: Reuters | Note: Direct 2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict source documenting PMN-2 mines tied to the July 2025 border crisis, Thai and Cambodian attribution claims, and expert assessment that photographed mines were likely newly laid. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Thai Mission Evidence on Cambodia LandminesPublisher: Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations | Note: Direct 2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict source presenting Thailand's official evidence and attribution claims about PMN-2 antipersonnel mines along the border. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Mines PMNPublisher: No Land Mines | Note: Supports PMN-1 construction and specification data. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PMN-2 Anti-Personnel Blast MinePublisher: No Land Mines | Note: Supports PMN-2 construction and specification data. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PMN-4 Russian Anti-Personnel MinePublisher: U.S. Army OE Data Integration Network | Note: Supports PMN-4 dimensions, explosive fill, and pressure-fired blast-mine description. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PMN-4 Anti-Personnel Landmine in Kyiv OblastPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary PMN-4 photograph from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PMN-2 Mine Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the PMN-2 gallery photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-30