“Unprecedented scale”: Ukraine has become the most mined country in the world – The Guardian
26 August 19:14
Ukraine is the most mined country in the world today. According to UN estimates, more than 1 million mines and unexploded ordnance are scattered on its territory, The Guardian reports , "Komersant Ukrainian".
The scale of this contamination is unprecedented and poses a deadly danger to civilians.
Life among the mines
The problem is particularly acute in the border regions. Less than 50 kilometers from Russia is Shostka in Sumy region. The city, which has been under siege and regular attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, now lives under the constant threat of unexploded ordnance.
“A few days ago, there were 40 Shahed drones above us. Now they can drop mines, and even if nothing explodes right away, there is always a chance that it will happen later,” says 21-year-old explosives specialist Yelyzaveta Kyselova.
According to her, even roads that are well known to locals are becoming deadly:
“Two weeks ago, a family was killed on a road they had been traveling for years. It was not a hidden path – a mine was recently dropped there, probably by a drone.”
Local activists add that incidents occur so often that residents sometimes even stop reporting them to the military.
Civilian tragedies
Similar incidents occur all over Ukraine. In Kherson, local resident Lyudmyla Kryvorotko lost two children to a Russian mine on a civilian road.
“Two of my children – a 19-year-old son and a 22-year-old daughter – died on the spot. I lost consciousness, and my younger daughter was seriously injured. My fourteen-year-old son Mykhailo suffered a concussion, but managed to pull us out of the car,” the woman recalls.
They managed to get to the nearest village, where the Ukrainian military helped them.
The scale of the danger
Experts emphasize that about a quarter of Ukraine’s territory is now contaminated with mines and explosive devices. This is the largest figure in the world.
Paul Heslop, a UN mine action expert, explains:
“Russian forces are actively mining areas as they retreat, using both large anti-tank mines and small explosive devices. There are also a lot of unexploded shells, rockets, grenades and mortars, especially in the buffer zones with a 30 km artillery range. We are seeing a level of complexity and scale that we have simply not seen before.”
Mine danger on the water
Explosive devices in water bodies pose a separate threat. After the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam was blown up in June 2023, a significant number of mines fell into the Dnipro River and from there into the Black Sea. To this day, mines thrown up by the current are still being found on the beaches of Odesa and the region.
Context
Ukraine is gradually becoming a world leader in demining programs, but the process will take years due to the scale of the problem. According to government estimates, it may take at least a decade to completely clear the territory, and annual demining costs reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
