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Mine explosions kill farmer, injure another in Kherson, Kharkiv oblasts

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Mine explosions kill farmer, injure another in Kherson, Kharkiv oblasts
A warning sign that reads "Dangerous! Mines!" placed near destroyed houses during a de-mining operation in the village of Hrakove, Kharkiv Oblast, on April 18, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

Explosions caused by mines killed a farmer in Kherson Oblast and wounded another farmer in Kharkiv Oblast, regional officials reported on March 19.

Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in October 2023 that mines threaten the lives of around six million Ukrainians.

A farmer was herding cattle near the village of Molodetske in the Kherson district when he found a mine left by Russian troops and collected it, after which the mine detonated, killing the man, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

Prokudin urged residents not to touch any suspicious objects they find and to report the findings to the police or rescuers.

Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult
In March 2022 right after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a cell phone video apparently taken by a Russian soldier captured two “Zemledeliye” mobile mine-laying systems thought to be stationed in Kharkiv Oblast. Positioned against a drab backdrop of what was once farmland, the “Zemledeli…
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Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other regional settlements on the west bank of the Dnipro River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive. At least two years will be required to de-mine Ukrainian-controlled territory in Kherson Oblast, Prokudin said earlier.

Another Ukrainian farmer was working in a field in the Barvinkove community near Kharkiv Oblast’s Izium when his tractor drove over a mine, Oleksandr Balo, the head of the community, told Suspilne news outlet.

He suffered injuries due to the explosion and received medical assistance, added Balo.

Mines and other explosives have killed over 270 Ukrainians and wounded over 600 since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, an official within Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Feb. 29.

‘Every time feels like your last’: How Ukrainian sappers work in gray zones near Russian-occupied Kreminna
Donetsk Oblast – At an unusually nice house on a street with rows of modest cottages, Ukraine’s front-line sappers spend their days indoors waiting for their daunting nightly missions– venturing out into “gray zones” laying mines sometimes as close as 100 meters from the nearest Russian trench. “Th…
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