Profile
- Type
- Scatterable anti-personnel blast mine
- Conflict side
- Ukraine (apparent use)
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design documented in the Russia-Ukraine War
Infantry Weapons
PFM-1
The PFM-1 is a Soviet scatterable anti-personnel blast mine with a plastic winged body and a small liquid-explosive charge, designed for remote delivery rather than hand emplacement. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has been documented in PFM-series rocket-scattered mine contamination around Izium, where Human Rights Watch linked the mines to 220 mm Uragan mine-laying rockets and civilian casualties.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine (apparent use)
- Built by
- Soviet state arsenals
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- Remotely delivered from mine-laying rockets, aircraft, helicopters, and other dispenser systems
- Used by
- Ukrainian forces (apparent use documented by Human Rights Watch), Russian and former Soviet stockpile operators
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War, Soviet-Afghan War
Production History
- Designer
- Soviet ordnance designers
- Designed
- Cold War period
- Built by
- Soviet state arsenals
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not publicly reported
- Produced
- Soviet-era production; later stocks retained by former Soviet states
- Number built
- Not publicly reported
- Variants
- PFM-1, PFM-1S self-destruct variant
Specifications
- Mine type
- Scatterable anti-personnel blast mine
- Body
- Plastic, winged mine body intended to stabilize descent after aerial or rocket dispersal
- Explosive filling
- About 37 g of liquid high explosive, commonly reported as VS-6D or VS-60D
- Fuze
- Hydraulic pressure-operated fuze with arming delay
- Activation pressure
- Approximately 5-25 kg reported for PFM-1
- Delivery
- Can be dispersed by systems including 220 mm 9M27K3 Uragan mine-laying rockets carrying 312 PFM mines
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine (apparent use)
Human Rights Watch reported physical evidence that PFM-series antipersonnel mines were scattered by 9M27K3 Uragan rockets around Russian-occupied Izium in 2022, assessed the likely direction of fire as Ukrainian-controlled territory, and urged Ukraine to investigate.
PFM-1 Images
Related Weapon Systems
POM-2Scatterable antipersonnel fragmentation mineThe POM-2 is a Soviet/Russian scatterable antipersonnel fragmentation mine that deploys tripwire sensors after delivery by rockets, helicopters, aircraft, vehicles, or specialized dispensers. In Ukraine, it appears as part of Russia's remotely delivered mine threat, including documented POM-2 mines and KPOM-2 canisters recovered in areas cleared by Ukrainian emergency services.
MON-100Directional anti-personnel fragmentation mineThe MON-100 is a Soviet/Russian directional anti-personnel fragmentation mine, a larger member of the MON family intended to project steel fragments across a 100-meter danger area. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears in mine-action reporting as one of the MON-series mines used by Russian forces, adding to the hand-emplaced and tripwire or command-initiated explosive hazards facing Ukrainian deminers and civilians.
MON-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. In the Russia-Ukraine War, monitoring groups identify MON-50 mines among Russian-used hand-emplaced antipersonnel mines, adding to the dense explosive contamination faced by Ukrainian deminers and civilians.
MON-90Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mineThe MON-90 is a Soviet-designed directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine, broadly comparable in role to a large Claymore-type munition. It uses a plastic, curved body and a heavy explosive charge to project steel fragments across a fixed arc, and open-source mine-action reporting identifies it among the antipersonnel mines contaminating Ukrainian territory during the Russia-Ukraine War.
PMN-1/2/4Antipersonnel blast mine familyThe 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; all three are relevant to mine-contamination reporting in and around Ukraine, where PMN-2 and PMN-4 examples have been documented during the Russia-Ukraine War.
PTM-1Scatterable anti-vehicle mineThe PTM-1 is a Soviet/Russian plastic-bodied scatterable anti-vehicle blast mine intended for remote delivery by rocket artillery, helicopter, or aircraft dispensers rather than manual emplacement. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears in documented anti-vehicle mine use, with Human Rights Watch listing PTM-1/PTM-1G mines among types stockpiled by both Russia and Ukraine.Sources
Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine - Third EditionPublisher: Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining | Note: Supports humanitarian ordnance-recognition background for PFM-series mines encountered in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PFM-1 (Green Parrot) Russian Anti-Personnel MinePublisher: OE Data Integration Network | Note: Supports general system background, Russian/Soviet production context, plastic body, liquid explosive filling, and pressure-operated fuze details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PFM 1 anti-personnel mine (Green Parrot)Publisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports the mine's scatterable anti-personnel role, Russian/Soviet identification, and external dimensions of a representative PFM-1 training example. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm CiviliansPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports the Russia-Ukraine War note on apparent PFM-series mine use around Izium, including 9M27K3 rocket delivery, PFM-1S remnants, and civilian casualty context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Cluster dispenser with PFM-1 anti-personnel mines found in UkrainePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing source; the file is attributed to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and listed under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PFM1 minePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing source for the gallery image, listed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. | Accessed: 2026-06-20