Landmine explosion kills 2 civilians in Kherson Oblast

A car with two men of 45 and 48 years hit a landmine on a field road near the village of Novoraysk in Kherson Oblast. The men were killed instantly, according to the Kherson Oblast military and civil administration.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated Novoraysk in November 2022 during a massive Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south.

Main roads have since been cleared from explosives Russia left behind. However, mines can still be found in local forests and fields.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in January that Ukraine became "the largest minefield in the world" due to the Russian invasion.

The large-scale mining of Ukrainian land makes it difficult and highly dangerous for local farmers to grow crops and harvest, putting at risk the country’s one of the vital industries. During the summer harvest, several farmers were killed in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions when their tractors hit a landmine during fieldwork.