Ukraine Becomes The Most Landmine Infested Country In The World
Minefield warning sign in Ukraine "STOP MINES!" Image/SkyNews
July, 2022 - I am sitting in an off-the beaten-path Texas brewery with friends. The walls are decorated with the insignia of military units, veteran associations, and battlefield photographs of this brewery’s distinct clientele. Tonight I am the odd man out - almost everyone there, except for me, has a Special Forces background. I’m introduced to former Green Beret and silver star recipient, Ryan Hendrickson back from a stint conducting landmine removal in Ukraine.
We talked about his years in the U.S. Army, his eight tours, his work with first responders, and the time he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan, almost losing his leg. Hendrickson got medical attention in time to save his life, but his leg would never be the same. Today he runs Tip of the Spear Landmine Removal, a high risk humanitarian organization that’s true to its name.
He was back in the U.S. just long enough for some R&R, before returning to Ukraine. Tip of the Spear is one of a handful of groups combating the tidal wave of landmines and unexploded ordinance left behind by the Russian army. It’s a race against time, and Hendrickson knows it. His mission is to get to those explosives before civilians and children do.
Less than a year has now passed since Hendrickson and I sat in the bar. In that brief span of time, Ukraine has become recognized as the most landmine infested country in the world, surpassing even Afghanistan and Syria.
The Russian tactic of laying mines on every bit of ground that cannot be held by their forces is sinister. Russian troops are infamously creative and destructive in their methods of covering every field, road, and forest they touch, going so far as to mine dead bodies left unburied, double and triple booby-trap positions, and leave trip-wires in unassuming places.
One example is the controversial Soviet era PFM-1 or “butterfly mine.” The four and a half inch long anti-personnel device can be shot into an area using a specialized mortar. Their light plastic design allows them to float to the ground without detonation. They can land in trees, on fences, but if disturbed, will blow a hand or foot off. The Soviets scattered these across Afghanistan, maiming large numbers of children who picked them up thinking they were toys. The British MOD are among those who have reported these especially affecting regions of Ukraine like Donetsk and Kramatorsk where Russian forces have deployed them along their defensive lines.
It appears that Russia deliberately targets agricultural and farming land, denying its use to the civilians who own and work these areas. In some cases, Ukrainian farmers have shown that they would rather risk hitting a landmine in a field than miss the rapidly approaching planting season. Much is at stake for these farmers- an income to sustain them through the difficult months ahead, and a product capable of not only feeding the people of Ukraine, but the population of other nations who look to Ukraine for export crops.
Mines Advisory Group destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs Image/Reuters
Images have surfaced from around Ukraine of tractors blown up by anti-vehicle mines as farmers tried to work their land, some ending up with shrapnel or partial wounds from detonated mines, the tractor in ruins, but escaping with their lives. At other times, the threat from landmines is just too great, and the ground must be left untouched.
The nature of the mines, their low visibility and the indiscriminating way in which they are laid, create a long lasting effect on the areas that have been contaminated by them. The partially plastic “butterfly mines” are so light that they can be picked up by moving water after a rain and moved to areas not obviously a target for mining.
Landmine removal is a grueling process requiring painfully slow movements, sometimes on all fours, gently poking the ground with a knife, and at other times with mine detectors carefully sweeping the path ahead. It requires specialized training and top equipment.
Ryan Hendrickson demining with Tip of the Spear Landmine Removal in Ukraine Image/Ryan Hendrickson
It has been more than twenty five years since the end of The Bosnian War, and the danger of minefields still exists there. Now imagine that kind of threat multiplied exponentially and you can just begin to understand the enormity of the crisis facing post-war Ukraine. Ukrainians will need to reconcile themselves to the reality that the horrors of Putin’s invasion will not end with his defeat and the Russian army’s retreat from Ukraine.
Once Ukraine pushes the Russian army out of its country and off the battlefields which are made up of villages, farmland, and forests, they will have the massive, ongoing task of clearing their mine contaminated land. It could take years and even decades before the people of Ukraine are safe from these Russian threats. In the meantime, the guardian angels from Tip Of The Spear Landmine Removal and groups like the HALO Trust and others continue to risk their lives so that the innocent victims of war can live another day.
