The deputy head of the mine countermeasures department of the Main Department of Civil Defense and Environmental Security, Colonel Yevhenii Zubarevskyi, said that the Russian army actively uses the environment as a tool of warfare. About this reported press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine/
“After demining, our specialists conduct research on these territories in order to determine the optimal methods of returning the territories of communities, forests, forest strips and agricultural lands to use”, — noted Zubarevskyi during the scientific conference “Restoration of lands and soils after demining”.
He emphasized that the constant threat of new shelling is one of the key problems in the demining process. Russian troops use cluster munitions and mines, which can re-contaminate already cleared areas.
Major Vladyslav Dudar, a representative of the Department of Environmental Security, added that in some areas up to 550 artillery shots per square kilometer per day were recorded. Experts found the remains of dangerous chemical compounds, heavy metals and explosive decay products in these areas. In some areas, up to 80,000 enemy artillery shots are recorded per month.
Specialists also conduct constant analysis of the quality of soils on cleared areas, in particular in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Their task is to help landowners quickly restore damaged areas and estimate the costs of their restoration.
