By Olha Chepil | 2023-11-09

KYIV -- Ukraine has rapidly become the most heavily mined country in the world, with contaminated areas already comparable to the size of several European countries.

About 30% of Ukrainian territory has been exposed to severe conflict and will need to be cleared of land mines, unexploded bombs, artillery shells and other deadly byproducts of war.

Out of a total area of 603,000 square kilometers, roughly 174,000 square kilometers could be mined, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The affected area encompasses almost 30% of Ukraine's total land mass and includes areas of past or present combat operations, those subjected to air strikes and lands temporarily occupied by Russia.

"Almost a third of our territory is dangerous because of unexploded mines and shells," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 14. "Obviously, we need global support for clearing our land of Russian mines."

Croatia on October 11 hosted the International Donor Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine, which was attended by more than 40 countries and international organizations.

During online remarks, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the "mine war" for Ukraine is a manifestation of the genocide being committed by the Russians.

"The enemy is mining roads, forests, agricultural lands, schools, kindergartens and hospitals, playgrounds and apartment buildings," Shmyhal said at the conference. "Explosive devices have killed almost 250 people, and about 500 more have been injured. And every day the number of victims grows."

More than 6 million Ukrainians reside in potentially affected areas, he said.

Over the past year, the density of Russian mining at the front has surpassed even the level anticipated by NATO in its military training doctrines.

"Imagine a field completely covered with anti-tank mines. Not in one, two or three rows, as the textbooks say, but ground that is completely sown with mines," said Pavel, a senior combat engineer in the Ukrainian armed forces, who is serving in eastern Ukraine and did not want his last name to be published.

"It's very difficult, and it greatly slows down our counter-offensive," said Pavel, who performs military mine clearing "at ground zero."

One pernicious Russian device is the POM-3 mine, which reacts to footsteps.

"When a sapper walks, he might not see it yet, because he's 10 meters away. But the mine already senses the person and detonates when he enters the effective zone," he told Kontur.

Death trap for children

The threat that mines pose to children is particularly concerning amid regular reports of deaths and injuries.

In one recent case, a 14-year-old boy died on October 15 after setting off a mine in the Bashtansky district of Mykolaiv province.

His 12-year-old friend was seriously injured.

"The children were playing in a field outside the village. The territory had been the site of active combat," Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

Since the onset of Russia's invasion in February 2022, mines in Ukraine have killed 14 children and seriously wounded another 68, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) reported via Telegram on October 23.

Kherson and Kharkiv provinces, which were partially occupied by Russian forces for a time, are the most dangerous. The Russians mined critical infrastructure, utilities and even civilian buildings there, say analysts.

"In Kharkiv province, in Kherson province, we find everything ... everything from classic antipersonnel mines, to other types: booby-trap mines, mines to lure children and other things," Tymur Pistriuha, executive director of the Ukrainian Deminers Association, told Kontur.

Mines and other explosive devices have been found in abandoned buildings, fields or forests, as well as on streets, playgrounds and roadsides.

Forests and agricultural areas previously occupied by Russian forces are particularly dangerous, according to Pistriuha.

"Even Kyiv province, where people have already returned, is still considered a potentially dangerous territory," he added.

Decades of mine clearing

Ukrainian sappers are carefully clearing explosives in order to quickly restore everyday life to liberated areas.

That work, however, represents only an initial inspection. Ukraine needs full-fledged humanitarian mine clearing, said Pistriuha.

"Only humanitarian mine clearing can guarantee ... safety and quality," he said. "The world has never faced this tragedy on such a scale."

"Military diplomacy is taking every opportunity to achieve results," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an address published on the government website on October 10.

"All creative and technological tools have been deployed to strengthen our transport links and to clear Russian mines and munitions more quickly from Ukrainian soil," he said.

But even officials are afraid to guess how long it will take Ukraine to clear mines and munitions from the land.

One year of war typically means 10 years of mine clearing.

"We will need several decades, since our war began in 2014 ... But I see here at the front that the guys are trying. They are going without fear of death," said Pavel the combat engineer.