“Ukraine is the most mined country in the world” because of the war, says minister

Meses of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian onslaught made Ukraine the country with the most mines in the world, according to the country’s Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov, in an interview with The Guardian.

“Currently, Ukraine is the most mined country in the world. Hundreds of kilometers of minefields, millions of explosive devices and, in some parts of the front line, up to five mines per square meter”, said the Ukrainian official.

In the interview, Oleksii Reznikov stated that millions of explosive devices had been placed along a front line that stretched for almost a thousand kilometers. And he noted: “Russian minefields are a serious obstacle for our troops, but they are not insurmountable.”

Despite the optimism, the Ukrainian minister made a (new) appeal to Western partners to intensify their efforts to support Kyiv’s defense effort. “We have qualified sappers and modern equipment, but they are extremely insufficient for the front that stretches hundreds of kilometers in eastern and southern Ukraine,” he said.

The official also revealed that some of the mines spread across the country were placed by Ukrainian forces to protect their own defensive lines, but he guaranteed that the vast majority are Russian.

Demining in Ukraine has already been a topic of discussion among the allies, with a meeting of 54 countries in July agreeing to form and equip Ukraine with more units specialized in demining.

The defense minister said that while that meeting had unlocked donations, more from a wider range of partners is desperately needed.

Also Read: Zelensky asks for demining equipment to “restore security”