Ukrainian Ministry of Defense: nearly 26,000 hectares of land cleared of mines in the Donbas in 2017
The press service of the Ministry of Defense reported that over the course of 2017, bomb disposal experts cleared nearly 26,000 hectares of land area in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of mines, neutralizing approximately 326,000 explosive items.
"In particular, the bomb squads of the Armed Forces of Ukraine worked on a 3,632-hectare territory where they managed to neutralize and destroy more than 177,500 explosive objects. They also cleared more than 1,100 kilometers of roads, as well as 18 kilometers of railways,” the report says.
Also involved in the de-mining work were non-governmental organizations, which took part in demining efforts at 47 work sites with a total combined area of 640 hectares over the past year. Thanks to their help, more than 130 hectares of the territory were cleared and 528 explosive objects were discovered, informed the Ministry of Defense.
Experts earlier said that the demining of the Donbas would take no less than 10-15 years, and that this process will cost Ukraine more than one billion dollars, as it is 100 times more expensive to clear territory than it is to mine it. As the cost of a mine varies from 3 to 10 dollars, its neutralization requires spending in the realm of 300-1000 dollars.
Ukraine needs to seek financial support from other states and organizations for these efforts. Most recently, Germany allocated 200,00 euros in funds at the end of November for the demining of the territories.