Within three years of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has become the most mine-contaminated country in the world. Clearing up the lethal landscape will take decades – unless new technologies speed up the process.
It has been almost two and a half years since a Ukrainian counteroffensive liberated Kherson. But for hundreds of farmers in the battered region in the south-east of the country, life is still standing still. Nine months of Russian occupation had ravaged towns and villages, leaving behind a ghastly treasure hunt of scattered landmines.
Land is not safe to work on, yet some carry on regardless – sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, 128 farmers have been killed by forgotten explosive devices, according to the website of the Parliament of Ukraine.
It is no small deal for Ukraine. About a quarter of its vast territory of 603,628 square kilometres (Ukraine is the largest country in Europe after Russia) is probably contaminated...