‘Russian mines are a big crime against Ukraine and humanity’
Among the latest deadly novelties of Russia is a mine called “Medallion”, equipped with a seismic sensor to detect the approach of a person and the release of explosive charge into the air writes Roman Rukomeda.
Roman Rukomeda is a Ukrainian political analyst. This is his 47th account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he succeeded in sending to EURACTIV despite war-time hardships.
The 62nd day of war is coming to an end. Being unable to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia set different mines and explosives on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. The goal is simple – destroy the economy and infrastructure and kill as many people as possible. Setting mines on Ukrainian land in the houses of innocent civilians is a grave and deep crime of Russian terrorists and war criminals.
Walking around some locations in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, it is possible to see signs warning of mines. According to state officials, the territory of the city, not only regional towns like Bucha or Irpin, is not entirely safe. They say there are still some mined cars and booby traps in the centre of Kyiv close to the government area. For this reason, people in the city are warned not to spend too much time walking in the centre.
The situation is much worse in Ukraine’s regions. There were several cases in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions when trucks and private cars exploded on anti-tank mines, killing the drivers and passengers.
After
the first wave of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014, about 16,000 square kilometres of Luhansk and Donetsk regions needed cleaning. According to preliminary estimates today, it is approximately 80,000 square kilometres of Ukraine.
According to government estimates, Ukrainian sappers dispose of 4000-5000 explosive devices every day. The disposal process is ten times longer and more complicated than mining. The Ukrainian authorities plan to involve foreign specialists in it and have already started work on establishing the International Demining Center. In addition, the government has set a task to develop a state mine action strategy. It is not only about finding and disposing of explosives but also about studying this topic in schools.
Explosives experts have found mined children’s toys, washing machines, bags of potatoes, and playgrounds. In addition, the Russian aggressors did not neglect to mine the corpses of people and animals.
Sometimes, in addition to the usual grenades and mines, there are “exotic” finds. These are parts of the Caliber and Iskander missiles. To neutralise them, the State Emergency Service has created a particular information centre that studies the techniques of demining new ammunition.
Among the deadly novelties of Russia is the mine called “Medallion”. It is a mine with a seismic sensor to detect the approach of a person and the release of explosive charge into the air. Its range is 16 meters, and the penetrating nature of the fragments is specially designed to target the eyes, neck and groin.
According to the UN, one year of war leads to 10 years of demining. Ukrainian experts believe that most of the territories can be cleared in a few years after the war, but full demining will take decades. They say that if the state system of mine action and raising finances will work properly, the main, essential part can be cleared of shells and mines in a few years.
On 30 March, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Russia, using naval mines from seized military depots in Crimea, was provoking and discrediting Ukraine in front of international partners in the Black Sea. “Russia has invented a new method of piracy, which is the use of sea mines as uncontrolled drifting munitions,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
During its aggression against Ukraine, Russia is trying to bring maximum damage to the national economy, infrastructure, ecology and people. For instance, because of Ukrainian mining fields, the export of crops on the world markets from Ukraine this year will drastically drop. This will affect global food security, and Russians intentionally do it.