Over 200 thousand explosives defused in de-occupied Kherson region

In total, more than 423,000 hectares have been cleared of mines and 219,000 explosives have been defused in the right-bank part of Kherson Oblast.

According to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, sappers surveyed more than 257,000 hectares of territory over the year, including fields, roads, power lines, gas pipelines, and railroad tracks. More than 10 thousand households and infrastructure facilities have also been checked.

"Up to 264 groups of sappers, pyrotechnics and explosives experts from the State Emergency Service, the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the National Police are involved in demining. International mine action operators are also involved: "DRC, HALO Trust, NPA, Demining Solution, DCA, Center for Demining, ASU and FSD ," the KHOVA said.

The deputy head of KHOVA, Olha Maliarchuk, noted that<span>each cleared hectare means people's safety and the key to the region's recovery. </span>

Since February 2022, 1,083 civilians in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine have been injured by Russian anti-personnel mines. Among them, 333 people were killed and 750 were injured. Kharkiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions remain the most contaminated with mines.

Earlier in Kherson, police explosive technician Oleksandr Viter was killed during demining after Russian attacks . Before that, six employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, who were engaged in humanitarian demining in Kherson region, came under targeted fire from Russians and were killed. Two more SES employees, including a female paramedic, were injured.

It was also said that on July 8, 2023, the President of Ukraine, by his Decree No. 381/2023, awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine" for personal courage and heroism in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people Sviatoslav Aleksapolskyi - Junior Sergeant (posthumously).

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