Despite only 10% of demined land, melons are being sown in Kherson Oblast

Mine clearance work continues in Kherson Oblast, and only 10% of the land has been cleared so far. However, despite this, farmers have already managed to sow melons, according to Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, a spokesman for the Kherson Regional Military-Civilian Administration, during a telethon.

According to Tolokonnikov, about 66,000 hectares of land in the region have been cleared of mines, which is only 10% of the total area that needs to be cleared. According to the spokesman, about 100 thousand hectares of land remain unmined. Despite this, many communities have already sown some of their land with gourds, although perhaps not in full. The harvest is expected to be slightly delayed.

According to the National Guard, demining teams operating in Kherson and Sumy regions have inspected more than 370 hectares of agricultural land and defused 253 explosive devices over the past week. Demining operations also continue in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions.

International partners will allocate $244 million to help demine the areas. Also, by the end of the year, Ukraine will receive 10 demining vehicles manufactured by the Croatian company Dok ING and another 10 vehicles from Global Clearance Solutions. In addition, it is planned to supply more than 200 pyrotechnic machines, more than 600 metal detectors, 50 blasting machines, individual demining kits, explosive protective suits, quadcopters, robotic systems for the disposal of ammunition and other specialized equipment.