July 22, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EDT
Mines and unexploded rockets next to a destroyed bridge on the way to Kherson, Ukraine, in November. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post) Comment on this storyComment
In a year and a half of conflict, landmines — along with unexploded bombs, artillery shells and other deadly by-products of the war — have plagued a part of Ukraine about the size of Florida or Uruguay. It has become the most heavily mined country in the world.
The transformation of Ukraine’s heartland into hazardous wastelands is a long-term disaster on a scale that ordnance experts say has rarely happened and could take hundreds of years and billions of dollars to eliminate.
Efforts to eliminate the threats identified as unexploded ordnance and to determine the full extent of the problem can only go so far as the conflict is still ongoing. But the data collected by the Ukrainian government and independent humanitarian demining groups paints a stark picture.
“The sheer volume of ordnance in Ukraine is simply unprecedented in the last 30 years. “There’s nothing quite like it,” said Greg Crowther, program director of the Mines Advisory Group, a UK charity working to clear mines and unexploded ordnance around the world.
HALO Trust used open source information to track more than 2,300 ordnance and mine incidents in Ukraine from the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 to July 11, 2023.
area held by
Supported by Russia
separatists
since 2014
illegally annexed
from Russia
in 2014
Note: The data is and is exclusively from open source research
does not include the results of on-site surveys
by HALO Trust or other organizations.
HALO Trust used open source information to track more than 2,300 ordnance and mine incidents in Ukraine from the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 to July 11, 2023.
area held by
Supported by Russia
separatists
since 2014
illegally annexed
from Russia
in 2014
Note: The data comes exclusively from open source research and does not include the results of on-site surveys by HALO Trust or other organizations.
Size
Of Ukraine
233,030 square miles
contaminated area
67,181 square miles
size of
Florida
53,652 square miles
Size
Of Ukraine
233,030 square miles
size of
Florida
53,652 square miles
contaminated area
67,181 square miles
The biggest obstacle to Ukraine’s counteroffensive? minefields.
About 30 percent of Ukraine, more than 67,000 square miles, faces serious conflict and will require time-consuming, expensive and dangerous clearance operations, according to a recent report by GLOBSEC, a Slovakia-based think tank.
Although ongoing fighting makes accurate mapping impossible, the scale and concentration of ordnance means that Ukraine’s contamination is greater than that of other heavily mined countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
HALO Trust, an international non-profit organization that clears landmines, has used open source information to track more than 2,300 incidents in Ukraine where explosive ordnance was detected that required clearance. While the events are poorly reported and the data do not include the results of on-site surveys by the HALO Trust or other organizations, they paint a harrowing picture of the problem.
The use by Ukrainian forces this week of US-made cluster munitions, known to disperse unexploded ordnance, can only compound the danger.
Evidence of the use of banned mines by Ukrainian forces is mounting, human rights group says
The explosives have already taken a heavy toll. Between the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 and July 2023, the United Nations recorded 298 civilian deaths from explosive remnants of war, 22 of them children, and 632 civilian injuries.
Injuries and deaths caused
by duds
area held by
Supported by Russia
separatists
since 2014
illegally annexed
from Russia
in 2014
Note: Note: Incidents recorded by HALO Trust using
Open Source Information. HALO Trust emphasizes
that civilian casualties are grossly underestimated
and many events may not be included in the map
due to data availability.
Injuries and deaths from duds
area held by
Supported by Russia
separatists
since 2014
Illegal
annexed by Russia
in 2014
Note: Incidents recorded by HALO Trust using open source information. HALO Trust emphasizes that there are civilian casualties
are heavily underreported and many events may not be included in the map due to data availability.
Civilian deminers who clear unexploded ordnance and mines from liberated areas are well trained and use safety equipment. But they are not immune to catastrophic accidents.
Vladislav Sokolov, a deminer for Ukraine’s Emergency Medical Service, told the Washington Post that one of his friends, a fellow deminer, lost a leg while working in a minefield in Kramatorsk in 2022. Sokolov and his friend reunited at a meeting of explosive ordnance disposal experts after he received a prosthetic leg.
He “tried to learn to walk again,” said Sokolov.
Dmytro Mialkovskyi, a Ukrainian military surgeon, has been operating on mine injuries since the war began. On Friday, he had to make a heartbreaking phone call at a hospital in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region to save the life of a mine blast patient who died from his injuries.
“I realized that this leg is killing him and there is also another leg with a tourniquet,” Mialkovskyi said. “So I had to quickly amputate both my legs. In 10 minutes.”
“I still don’t know if he will survive,” he said.
Minefields flooded by dam failure in Ukraine pose a new threat to civilians
Both sides use mines. Russia has heavily mined its front lines in anticipation of Ukraine’s continued counteroffensive, far more frequently using widely banned anti-personnel mines.
Small, deadly anti-personnel mines, triggered by the weight of the human body, cannot distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Research by Human Rights Watch found that Russian forces used at least 13 types of anti-personnel mines and victim-activated booby-traps. There is evidence that Ukraine also deployed at least one type of anti-personnel mine, a shattered PFM explosive mine, near the Ukrainian city of Izyum in the summer of 2022.
Anti-tank mines, which usually require enormous weight to detonate, are not banned internationally. However, any explosive device that could be accidentally detonated by a civilian can be considered an anti-personnel mine under the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, to which Ukraine but not Russia or the United States is a party.
Intended to self-destruct over a period of 1 to 40 hours. The small size and harmless appearance of these Soviet and Russian-made mines may lead to their unknowing handling by children or other civilians.
“Butterfly” made of plastic
wing
It’s filled with
approx. 37 grams
liquid explosive.
A thin plastic wing makes it easier
manipulate.
The lead is usually colored green,
Khaki Brown or Sand Brown
to avoid detection.
11 pounds of pressure
enough to explode
the device.
The explosion of the PFM-1S
has an effective range of 3 feet.
Soviet-made PMN-4 mines are armed with a delay. They have been found in southern Syria and Ukraine.
2 ounce demolition charge, total weight 10 ounces.
Soviet-made 11-pound refill.
The OZM-72 comes with a spool of tripwire that can be strung between the posts.
When the trigger wire is triggered, the mine explodes upwards, releasing over 2,400 steel fragments.
Family of Soviet-made circular explosive mines typically loaded with over 16 pounds of explosives.
It can be routed manually or
Use of mine-laying machines
The TM-62
requires 330-1,212 pounds
pressure to detonate. The
PTM-1 requires instead
330-881 pounds of pressure
detonate.
This Russian anti-vehicle mine is scattered by aircraft or missile systems.
It has green plastic
outer shell, with almost
2.5 pounds of liquid
explosive
Once deployed, it cannot be neutralized or disarmed.
The Russian military recommends destroying the mine with a “projectile attack”, such as blasting it with a vehicle-mounted machine gun.
Intended to self-destruct over a period of 1 to 40 hours. The small size and harmless appearance of these Soviet and Russian-made mines may lead to their unknowing handling by children or other civilians.
“Butterfly” made of plastic
wing
It’s filled with
approx. 37 grams
liquid explosive.
A thin plastic wing makes it easier
manipulate.
The lead is usually colored green,
Khaki Brown or Sand Brown
to avoid detection.
11 pounds of pressure
enough to explode
the device.
The explosion of the PFM-1S
has an effective range of 3 feet.
Soviet-made PMN-4 mines are armed with a delay. They have been found in southern Syria and Ukraine.
2 ounce demolition charge, total weight 10 ounces.
Soviet-made 11-pound refill.
The OZM-72 comes with a spool of tripwires that can be strung between the posts.
When the trigger wire is triggered, the mine explodes upwards, releasing over 2,400 steel fragments.
Family of Soviet-made circular explosive mines typically loaded with over 16 pounds of explosives.
It can be routed manually or
Use of mine-laying machines
The TM-62
requires 330-1,212 pounds
pressure to detonate. The
PTM-1 requires instead
330-881 pounds of pressure
detonate.
This Russian anti-vehicle mine is scattered by aircraft or missile systems.
It has green plastic
outer shell, with almost
2.5 pounds of liquid
explosive
Once deployed, it cannot be neutralized or disarmed.
The Russian military recommends destroying the mine with a “projectile attack”, such as blasting it with a vehicle-mounted machine gun.
Intended to self-destruct over a period of 1 to 40 hours. The small size and harmless appearance of these Soviet and Russian-made mines may lead to their unknowing handling by children or other civilians.
11 pounds of pressure
enough to explode
the device.
The explosion of the PFM-1S
has an effective range of 3 feet.
“Butterfly” wings made of plastic
A thin plastic wing makes it easier
manipulate.
The lead is usually colored green,
Khaki Brown or Sand Brown
to avoid detection.
It’s filled with
approx. 37 grams
liquid explosive.
Soviet-made PMN-4 mines are armed with a delay. They have been found in southern Syria and Ukraine.
Black pressure plate with reddish brown or khaki body.
Soviet-made 11-pound refill.
2 ounce demolition charge, total weight 10 ounces.
The OZM-72 comes with a spool of tripwire that can be strung between the posts.
When the trigger wire is triggered, the mine explodes upwards, releasing over 2,400 steel fragments.
Family of Soviet-made circular explosive mines typically loaded with over 16 pounds of explosives.
It can be moved manually
or through the use of mine-laying machines
The TM-62
requires 330-1,212 pounds
pressure to detonate. The
PTM-1 requires instead
330-881 pounds of pressure
detonate.
This Russian anti-vehicle mine is scattered by aircraft or missile systems.
outer shell made of green plastic,
with almost 2.5 pounds of liquid
explosive
Once deployed, it cannot be neutralized or disarmed. The Russian military recommends destroying the mine with a “projectile attack”, such as blasting it with a vehicle-mounted machine gun.
Intended to self-destruct over a period of 1 to 40 hours. The small size and harmless appearance of these Soviet and Russian-made mines may lead to their unknowing handling by children or other civilians.
11 pounds of pressure
enough to explode
the device.
The explosion has an effective range of 3 feet.
“Butterfly” wings made of plastic
A thin plastic wing makes it easier
manipulate.
The lead is usually colored green,
Khaki Brown or Sand Brown
to avoid detection.
Filled with more than
an ounce of liquid explosives.
Soviet-made PMN-4 mines are armed with a delay. They have been found in southern Syria and Ukraine.
Black pressure plate with reddish brown or khaki body.
Soviet-made 11-pound refill.
2 ounce demolition charge, total weight 10 ounces.
The OZM-72 comes with a spool of tripwire that can be strung between the posts.
When the trigger wire is triggered, the mine explodes upwards releasing over 2,400 Steel Fragments.
Family of Soviet-made circular explosive mines typically loaded with over 16 pounds of explosives.
A pressure of 330 to 1,212 pounds is required to detonate.
It can be moved manually
or through the use of mine-laying machines
Russian anti-vehicle mine scattered by aircraft or missile systems. A pressure of 330-881 pounds is required to detonate.
outer shell made of green plastic,
with almost 2.5 pounds of liquid
explosive
Cannot be neutralized or disarmed after deployment. The Russian military recommends destroying the mine with a “projectile attack”, such as blasting it with a vehicle-mounted machine gun.
Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have used anti-vehicle mines.
The United States has included two types of mines in its aid packages to Ukraine: the Remote Anti-Armor Mine System, which uses 155-millimeter artillery shells to set up temporary minefields programmed to self-destruct, and M21 anti-tank mines, which require hundreds of pounds of force to detonate but do not self-destruct, raising concerns about later removal.
Mines aren’t the only type of explosive that pose a hazard. Mortars, bombs, artillery shells, cluster munitions and others also become a danger if they do not explode when used.
Russia’s heavily mined defenses, built along front lines in months of stalemate, are slowing Ukraine’s counteroffensive that began last month and damaging western-supplied main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
Although special demining vehicles are in use, the mines are so concentrated on the front line that specialized soldiers, known as sappers, have had to resort to clearing the paths manually.
Humanitarian clearance operations, which return land that has been denied to local people after a conflict, are extremely slow, lengthy and expensive. They are underway in parts of Ukraine, including around the capital Kiev and other areas west of the front lines where the battle has receded.
Ukraine’s contaminated territory is so vast that some experts estimate it would take 757 years for the approximately 500 demining teams on the current mission to carry out humanitarian clearance.
Demining teams crawl inch by inch across the site, using metal detectors and sometimes explosives dogs, digging up every signal, not knowing if they’re going to spot a harmless nail or a deadline mine.
Humanitarian mine
scope
Teams of manual deminers use hand-held metal detectors to locate and investigate possible high-risk mines.
An armored anti-mine and improvised explosive device (IED) vehicle manufactured by the British company Armtrac.
A detector on the front robot arm finds IDS and marks them with color.
A vegetation cutter is attached to the rear robot arm.
The UR-77 is equipped
with a rocket-propelled explosive charge system called the MDK-3.
It is based on the chassis of the self-propelled tracked howitzer 2S1.
The system works by firing an explosive-filled line charge over a minefield.
Once the line charge is attached, it is detonated, creating a shockwave that neutralizes or detonates any mines in the vicinity of the blast, clearing a safe path up to 6 meters wide and 90 meters long.
The Leopard 2R mine clearance tanks, which Finland has transferred to Ukraine, are based on the Leopard 2A4 tank.
These tanks are equipped with mine plows, a bulldozer bucket and an automatic marking system.
Humanitarian mine
scope
Teams of manual deminers use hand-held metal detectors to locate and investigate possible high-risk mines.
An armored anti-mine and improvised explosive device (IED) vehicle manufactured by the British company Armtrac.
A detector on the front robot arm finds IDS and marks them with color.
A vegetation cutter is attached to the rear robot arm.
The UR-77 is equipped
with a rocket-propelled explosive charge system called the MDK-3.
It is based on the chassis of the self-propelled tracked howitzer 2S1.
The system works by firing an explosive-filled line charge over a minefield.
Once the line charge is attached, it is detonated, creating a shockwave that neutralizes or detonates any mines in the vicinity of the blast, clearing a safe path up to 6 meters wide and 90 meters long.
The Leopard 2R mine clearance tanks, which Finland has transferred to Ukraine, are based on the Leopard 2A4 tank.
These tanks are equipped with mine plows, a bulldozer bucket and an automatic marking system.
Humanitarian demining
Teams of manual deminers use hand-held metal detectors to locate and investigate possible high-risk mines.
An armored anti-mine and improvised explosive device (IED) vehicle manufactured by the British company Armtrac.
A detector on the front robot arm finds IDS and marks them with color.
A vegetation cutter is attached to the rear robot arm.
The UR-77 is equipped
with a rocket-propelled explosive charge system called the MDK-3.
It is based on the chassis of the self-propelled tracked howitzer 2S1.
The system works by firing an explosive-filled line charge over a minefield.
Once the line charge is attached, it is detonated, creating a shockwave that neutralizes or detonates any mines in the vicinity of the blast, clearing a safe path up to 6 meters wide and 90 meters long.
The Leopard 2R mine clearance tanks, which Finland has transferred to Ukraine, are based on the Leopard 2A4 tank.
These tanks are equipped with mine plows, a bulldozer bucket and an automatic marking system.
Humanitarian demining
Teams of manual deminers use hand-held metal detectors to locate and investigate possible high-risk mines.
An armored anti-mine and improvised explosive device (IED) vehicle manufactured by the British company Armtrac.
A detector on the front robot arm finds IDS and marks them with color.
A vegetation cutter is attached to the rear robot arm.
The UR-77 is equipped
with a rocket-propelled explosive charge system called the MDK-3.
It is based on the chassis of the self-propelled tracked howitzer 2S1.
The system works by firing an explosive-filled line charge over a minefield.
Once the line charge is attached, it is detonated, creating a shockwave that neutralizes or detonates any mines in the vicinity of the blast, clearing a safe path up to 6 meters wide and 90 meters long.
The Leopard 2R mine clearance tanks, which Finland has transferred to Ukraine, are based on the Leopard 2A4 tank.
These tanks are equipped with mine plows, a bulldozer bucket and an automatic marking system.
GLOBSEC estimates that a deminer can only clear 49 to 82 square feet per day, depending on terrain and explosives concentration.
The short window for spring clearance, after the soil has thawed and before farmers can sow, leaves little room for disasters like the Kakhovka Dam rupture in early June, which drastically hampered clearance efforts.
Farmers in heavily contaminated regions like Kherson resorted to visual inspection and armored tractors to sow this year’s crop.
There is a steady market for “dark deminers” who, without official certification, offer hasty and often unreliable clearance to clear some of the more than 19,000 square miles of unusable agricultural land.
Mine clearance is not only slow, but also expensive. The World Bank estimates that demining Ukraine, which costs between $2 and $8 per square meter, will cost Ukraine $37.4 billion over the next decade.
According to a State Department report from 2023, the United States has allocated more than $95 million for demining in Ukraine.
Mines as a dark legacy of conflicts around the world, from Cambodia to Kosovo, point to the challenges Ukraine may face in rebuilding.
Cambodia, riddled with millions of landmines after decades of conflict, has been the subject of continuous clearance operations for the past 30 years. Crowther estimates there are at least five years of work left. Tens of thousands of people have been maimed by the mines in Cambodia.
Armed conflicts erupted in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. “Kosovo was a six-month war that represented only a fraction of the magnitude of this conflict,” Crowther said of the war in Ukraine. “It took decades.”
Give this item as a gift
Understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Check out 3 more stories