Landmines instead of mushrooms: when will forests become safe?

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My family and I are avid mushroom pickers, for us “quiet hunting” is a great pleasure. But both last season and this season, our opportunities in this regard are limited: the forests of the Kyiv region hide a deadly danger. And all because of the “gifts” left by the occupiers, in the form of mines and shells. In the area where I have lived since the beginning of the war – near the Kyiv Sea, there were no active hostilities. However, this does not mean that our forests are absolutely safe. At some entrances to the forest there are signs “Mines”, and personally I don’t want to check if there are really explosive objects there, or if they were just installed by the military to discourage local people from wandering through the forests. The danger is really real and close. According to the State Service for Emergency Situations, Ukraine is now one of the most dangerous countries in terms of mined territories – their area reaches 174 thousand square kilometers, that is, almost a third of the total area of ​​the country. In the Kyiv region alone, mine rescuers have already defused more than 77,000 explosive objects, and demining continues. We ourselves from time to time hear characteristic explosions from the disposal of mines. According to the State Emergency Service, the most polluted are the territories of Buchanskyi, Brovarskyi and Vyshgorodskyi districts. From time to time there are reports of people who returned to de-occupied territories and found mines left by the occupiers at home – in the kitchen, in the rooms or even in the toilet. It ended badly for the unwary. Cases of detonation at mines became especially frequent when agricultural work began. Quite recently, a tractor driver was blown up in the Kyiv region – fortunately, he was injured. As of April 2023, 126 people, including six children, were killed by landmines, and 286 people were seriously injured, including 33 children. The use of anti-personnel mines is prohibited by the Ottawa Convention, to which Ukraine joined in 1999. Unfortunately, for Russia, these conventions are an empty sound. The enemy violates all possible rules of warfare, in particular, using remote mining. That significantly complicates the work of our sappers. Why are mines so dangerous? First, because there are many of them, and no one can say the exact number and locations. Secondly, they are almost invisible to the naked eye: someone who does not have the appropriate experience and has never seen “petals” or stretch marks can easily miss them. At specialized trainings, experiments are even conducted with mock-ups of mines and projectiles: most ordinary people either do not notice them or do not consider the object as dangerous. Another reason is that there is almost no person light enough for mines: some mines are triggered at a weight of 3 kg, that is, they pose a danger even to a child or an animal, not to mention an adult. And it is almost impossible to get rid of stretch marks in general – they are invisible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, mines and shells in the forests where the battles were and are still going on are our new reality for the coming years, if not decades. How long does demining take? Opinions differ. There is a theory that one day of shelling of the territory is a month of further demining. Someone says that in order to free the Ukrainian land from dangerous waste, it takes a year, someone calls the term ten years. For example, after the war in the Balkans in 1991-1995, Croatia needed 20 years to free the territory from the traces of the war. However, it was not completely possible to do this – there are still about 3% of hard-to-reach areas that need demining. According to pyrotechnic experts, this path awaits Ukraine as well. In part, the danger for the locals will decrease – specialists will demine something, some mines and projectiles will fail due to aging. But in any case, the forests in the territories that were occupied and where the fighting took place will be a place of danger for civilians for many years. What recommendations are there for those who want to go to the forest on the eve of the mushroom season? Mine-explosive specialist of the 130th TRO battalion, Oleksiy Chhalo, explained simple rules that literally save lives. “The general principle is always this: if you don’t know what it is – consider it dangerous and stay as far away as possible! It’s better not to walk where there are “Mine” signs. If someone put these signs, it means that there are signs of mining, even if there is one mine or its remains. In addition, you need to avoid paths deep in the forest: it is better to try to move on paved roads or to use roads that someone has already traveled on,” says Oleksiy. Another correct thing is to avoid places where there are clear signs of the presence of the military – trenches, boxes, remnants of uniforms, camouflage nets, some equipment. The same applies to household items in unusual places: for example, if you find a TV or a toilet in the woods, do not touch them. Grass, a stump that is too high, a high embankment, even a broken branch should alert. Any suspicious objects are also dangerous. It is especially worth paying attention to tied or broken ropes, wire, etc. If you suddenly come across something like this, it is better to leave the forest as soon as possible, and by the same way you entered it. Experts recommend somehow marking the place of a dangerous find, so that you can then notify the relevant services. Another tip from Oleksiy Chhal is to communicate with locals who know the forests like the back of their hand. They will tell you exactly where the military was, where, perhaps, someone has already blown up, where they walk by themselves and see how people walk and cars drive. It is also worth knowing what particularly dangerous mines that can be seen on the surface look like. These are PFM-1, MON-50 and MON-90 POM-2, as well as PTM-1, which in combat are above the ground, so they are visible to the eye. And also hand grenades F-1, RGD, RGO. You cannot approach them, because a civilian will not be able to determine what makes this mine work. PMN PMN-2 PMN-4 anti-personnel pressure mines are usually buried not very deep, and sometimes you can see and recognize their surface, as well as see unset mines or packaging remnants. Anti-tank TM-62M and TM-62P are sometimes just left on the surface, so it is also useful to know what they look like and what their destroyers look like and recognize them. Anti-tank mine The situation is much worse with those mines that are buried in the ground and which cannot be immediately noticed. Of them, perhaps the most dangerous is the OZM-72, which is installed in the ground, and only the MUV detonator, which looks like a small aluminum tube, sticks out a few centimeters from the ground. You can also find characteristic stakes and metal wire near OZM-72. If you are lucky enough to notice these signs, then you need to move away very carefully, without touching the plants and branches. To have an idea of ​​what these ammunition look like, it makes sense to find their image on the Internet. And, having come across them in the forest, keep as far away as possible. You need to know this yourself and constantly repeat it to children, whose natural curiosity can lead to trouble. Important: Mines underfoot: the State Emergency Service showed 9 types of bombs scattered by the occupiers in Ukraine The main thing to remember: our enemy is treacherous and unscrupulous, who has no honor and does not follow any rules. They disguise their “gifts” in the form of mines very carefully and ingeniously, and only an experienced eye can notice them. And since most of you and I, ordinary nature lovers and mushroom pickers, do not have mining experience, and there are not enough Patron dogs for everyone, the best option is to refrain from forest walks this summer. Or walk only in those forests where there were no hostilities and which have been repeatedly checked by the locals. Victoria Chirva, specially for UP. Life Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view

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