The Russian invasion of Ukraine made the country the one with the most landmines as of writing.
Experts warned that the terror brought by Russia's minefields will remain even if the war ends.
Russia's Hidden Explosives: Ukraine is Now the Country With Most Landmines
Collected anti-tank mines and explosives are set to detonate by the Ukrainian national police emergency demining team near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region on October 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to Business Insider's latest report, the Russian military's landmines are maiming Ukranian soldiers, as well as Western tanks.
But, defense officials said that these underground explosives are posing more risks than these.
Dr. Aaron Epstein, a former defense contractor, said that he doubts that the Russian military will tell where the rest of its minefields in Ukraine are located.
"It's going to be a really unfortunate, nasty discovery process," added Epstein, who is also a military medicine expert.
Epstein explained that since landmines are laid underground, they will only be buried deeper as the war drags on.
He warned that it would take a very long time to make a place filled with minefields safe for living.
"How deep do we need to scrape the surface of the Earth to really make these places safe to live?" he asked.
Aaron added that it could take several years before mine-clearing operations can make Ukraine a country safe to live in again.
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Ukraine Needs Help Clearing Russia's Landmines
Deminers of the humanitarian organisation HALO Trust clear farmers' land from explosives near the village of Yevgenivka, in the Mykolaiv region, on April 9, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Aside from getting buried deeper and harder to be cleared, another long-term issue posed by Russia's landmines is the need for extensive care for serious injuries.
Experts said that some of the worst injuries caused by the Russia-Ukraine war are amputations, which are mainly caused by minefields.
Based on statistics, between 20,000 to 50,000 Ukrainians suffered from amputations ever since Russia began invading their country.
Since Russia's landmines are greatly affecting Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that they are desperate for help to clear these underground explosives.
Via The Guardian, Reznikov said that they have skilled mine sappers and modern equipment. However, these are still insufficient.
Ukraine's defense ministry stated that there are millions of explosive devices and hundreds of kilometers of landmines in some parts of the nation's frontline.
In the recent July meeting, 54 countries supporting Ukraine said that they are willing to train and equip Ukrainian mine-clearing units.
Thanks to this conference, Reznikov said that the initiative was able to unlock donations for landmine clearings.
But, he said that they still need a wider range of partners. The Ukrainian defense minister added that they critically need more mine clearance equipment to remove Russia's deadly hidden explosives.
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