Lithuania will send Ukraine 14 M113 armored personnel carriers to assist in the country's demining efforts, the country's defense ministry announced on June 12.
"The transferred armored vehicles are intended to strengthen the demining capabilities of the Ukrainian army and are Lithuania's gratuitous contribution to the support mobilized by the Demining Coalition jointly led by Iceland," it said in a statement.
The U.S.-built vehicles will arrive this week, it added.
Nearly a third of Ukraine's territory, totaling around 174,000 square kilometers, has been mined since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Minefields between Ukrainian troops and entrenched Russian positions played a significant role in halting the 2023 counteroffensive and preventing the liberation of occupied territories.
The Ukrainian government reported on April 4 that mine-related explosions had killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia had a stockpile of 26 million landmines —the largest in the world, according to various estimates.
Chris York
(Updated: )
