Official says it will take at least 10 years to demine Ukraine

Ukraine will need at least a decade to clear all the mines and explosives from its land and territorial waters once Russia's invasion is over, an official has said.

Ukraine will need at least 10 years to demine its territory once Moscow's invasion is over, according to an official.

Photo: EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE PRESS OFFICE

Ukrainian experts have removed thousands of explosive devices, including 2,000 bombs dropped from the air, but some 300,000 square kilometres of territory still needs to be demined, Oleksandr Khorunzhiy, spokesman for Ukraine's State Emergency Service, said, as cited by the Reuters news agency.

"Up to 10 years, that's the optimistic figure because we don't know what's happening in areas where active combat is ongoing right now," Khorunzhiy told a news conference.

"Just imagine the number of bombs that have been dropped on us by the enemy," he added.

Rescuers remove an unexploded Russian air bomb from a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, June 23, 2022. Photo: EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE PRESS OFFICE

The top priority is to demine infrastructure, residential areas and roads, but it will take longer to clear woods, rivers and the coastline, Khorunzhiy said, according to Reuters.

Russian troops in March planted mines in a civilian hospital before withdrawing from the northern Ukrainian city of Trostianets, according to a report at the time.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters