30,000 square kilometers of Ukraine's land cleared of mine threats, operations expanding further

Ukrainian Colonel Ruslan Berehulia, head of the Ministry of Defense's Environmental Safety and Mine Action Department, reported that Defense Ministry specialists have cleared 30,000 square kilometers of Ukraine over the past two years - an area comparable to the size of Belgium or Moldova.

Since 2022, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land have been contaminated with explosives, making 144,000 square kilometers potentially dangerous.

In April 2022, Ukraine established the Corps of Deminers. By 2024, units from the Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Armed Forces had joined the organization to work in de-occupied areas.

These units are currently active in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions. The Corps of Deminers is set to consist of 5,000 specialists.

The Ukrainian government reported on April 4 that mine-related explosions have killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.

Multiple countries have been assisting Ukraine with demining efforts and providing training and equipment.

The U.S. donated over one million dollars in demining equipment to Ukraine's State Special Transport Service in February.

Russia to send children to North Korean summer camp

According to Gurov, the trip to the North Korean camp is scheduled for late July. Russia will send groups of children who will be accompanied by counselors, he added.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova