Main image: Ukrainian Military Forces servicemen walk past a metal plate which reads as 'Caution mines' on the frontline with Russia-backed separatists near Luganske village, in Donetsk region, Jan. 11, 2022. AFP
The area of potentially contaminated territories in Ukraine is approximately 139,000 square kilometers, of which 31,000 square kilometers are in de-occupied areas.
This was reported by Mykola Dydyk, head of the humanitarian demining and quality control department at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, during a TV broadcast.
"Ukraine remains, unfortunately, the most mine-contaminated country not only in Europe but also in the world. According to official statistics, the area of potentially contaminated territories is about 139,000 square kilometers," he informed.
He stated that approximately 31,000 square kilometers are de-occupied territories, where demining operations can take place.
"The situation is most difficult in the Donetsk region, as well as in the de-occupied areas of the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions, where the occupiers were present for a longer period," Dydyk emphasized.
The State Emergency Service urges people to be attentive and cautious, to report dangerous finds by calling 101, and never to attempt to move or neutralize munitions themselves.
