Two years after the Russian invasion, land mines plague one-third of Ukraine

WASHINGTON — Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country has become one of the most mine-littered nations on the planet. Eleven of Ukraine’s 27 regions are strewn with mines, according to Human Rights Watch. All told, about 30% of Ukraine’s territory is infested with land mines, an area roughly equivalent to the state of Florida.

The range of hidden weapons lurking underfoot includes powerful anti-vehicle mines that can blow up a tank or a large bus, smaller anti-personnel mines designed to kill or maim anyone who triggers it, as well as improvised booby traps and unexploded munitions.

Nearly 1,000 civilians in Ukraine have been killed by mines since the war began, according to aid groups. And most of those civilian casualties were caused by anti-vehicle mines planted in areas where Ukrainians were trying to return to and revive their farms.

Worldwide, land mines killedapproximately 1,600 people, the vast majority of them civilians, in 2022. They infest roughly 50 countries, endangering local populations for decades after conflicts end.

“The land mines impact every aspect of our life as a country,” Anastasia Radina, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, said in an interview with NBC News.

“It is a huge issue for farmers,” she added, “and it’s also impacting civilians, literally kids going to the park or to the forest, they can actually encounter landmines in many territories of Ukraine.”

Russian forces in Ukraine have deployed a deadly new type of anti-personnel mine, known as the POM-3, which is designed to detonate when someone walks nearby, using seismic sensors. The Russian innovation makes the weapon more difficult to locate and disarm, and more challenging to remove once combat has ended.

The POM-3,