Land mines will linger for decades

Half of Ukraine’s territory will need to be cleared of unexploded ordnance, in an effort that could take decades, the world’s largest demining charity has said.

‘‘Ukrainians estimated 300,000sq km of their country is affected by unexploded ordnance, either land mines, rocket bombs, artillery, munitions of one sort or another,’’ said Halo Trust chief executive James Cowan. ‘‘That’s a truly phenomenal amount, and much of it is in urban areas.’’

Even if Ukraine was supported with a huge international demining effort, making the country safe ‘‘could take decades’’, Cowan said.

Teams from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service are clearing between 2000 and 6000 explosive devices a day but, with the war raging on, ordnance is appearing faster than it can be defused.

Each new day of fighting meant a month of demining, said Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Denys Monastyrsky.

In the Kyiv region alone, where Russian forces dug in before retreating in the first week of April, Ukrainian emergency teams have cleared 17,934 explosive devices, many of which were intended to harm civilians.

The departing Russians ‘‘left booby traps in children’s toys. They’ve placed hand grenades underneath land mines so that when an unsuspecting Ukrainian soldier lifts the land mine to move it to safety, it detonates’’, Cowan said.

The invaders are also using a modern anti-personnel mine, known as POM 3, which is equipped with sensors that detect approaching footsteps, making them extremely difficult to defuse.

In addition to the immediate danger, the longer-term consequences threaten Ukraine’s entire population if left unaddressed. ‘‘The crop needs to go in the ground, people need to return to their homes, factories need to reopen – and unless the fields, the houses and the factories are made safe, none of these things will happen,’’ Cowan said.

Ukraine does not use antipersonnel mines, as it is a party to the mine ban treaty of 1997, but its troops have used anti-tank mines to defend their positions from Russian armour.