Ukraine's 'meowing traps': A new twist in wartime tactics
The war in Ukraine is full of astonishing inventions. This category includes the so-called "meowing traps," which strongly engage human curiosity and empathy. Here's what they are.
Russian soldiers interviewed on Russian television frequently complain about Ukrainian "meowing traps." It's important to note that much of this content is propagandistic. As explained by the Russian side, these are grenades or mines placed in nightstands on recently captured territory, connected to a speaker playing recorded cat meowing sounds.
Cats are often rescued and adopted by soldiers on both sides of the war, serving as unit mascots and helping to relieve stress. Furthermore, cats are highly valued on the front for reducing the number of rodents in the trenches.
For these reasons, many soldiers try to find and help any cats they hear, which some Ukrainians seem to exploit. The practice of rigging items with explosives is not surprising in this war, as Russians have also done so when retreating from locations like Bucha, where even children's toys were rigged with explosives.
Booby-trap mines — controversial weapons highly restricted by international law
Booby-trap mines are heavily regulated under Protocol II, added in 1996 to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, which came into force in 1983. It is noteworthy that both Russia and Ukraine have signed and ratified this convention.
However, the law and brutal reality are two different things, and many instances of violations of this convention or international humanitarian law can be seen in Ukraine. It's noteworthy that the Russians remain unmatched in these categories.
Booby-trap mines are improvised explosive devices based on grenades, anti-personnel mines, or homemade devices created from unexploded ordnance, explosive material, and metal scrap. The detonator is usually a simple pressure trigger or a stretched wire, which causes an explosion when tensioned. In the case of Ukrainians, for instance, a phone with a looped recording of cat meowing is added.
Protocol II prohibits booby-trap mines that do not include a built-in self-destruct function after a specified time and their disguising as, among other things, children's toys, food, corpses, clothes, or kitchen equipment, except for military objects. Fulfilling just one of these conditions is enough to consider it illegal.
