Farmers in Ukraine are digging up land mines by hand, in a desperate effort to clear some of their fields before planting season begins
His farm buildings were almost completely destroyed, millions of dollars worth of heavy machinery had been left in ruins, and last year’s wheat harvest had been incinerated. But the most pressing problem for Havriluk were the land mines which had been buried across his 12 square miles of surrounding fields. Now, the 69-year-old is digging them up by hand, in a desperate effort to clear some of his fields before planting season begins in early April. “I was afraid,” Havriluk said.
Ukrainian Armed Forces sappers have defused 45,000 explosive devices over the year, the military’s official media center said. The HALO Trust, the world’s largest mine clearance organization, currently employs 700 staff in Ukraine, a number they’re planning to nearly double by the end of the year. “The scale of contamination is huge, and it’s spread across the country,” Mairi Cunningham, who runs the HALO Trust demining task force in Ukraine, told CNN.
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