Russia hits Kyiv with drones, missiles; four dead

According to reports, Ukraine was hit by Russian drones and missiles overnight, days after Kyiv conducted daring raids on airfields deep inside Russia.

Fires caused by falling debris and drone strikes were reported in buildings across Kyiv, as Ukraine attempted to repel the Russian attack, the Head of Kyiv City Military Administration Tymur Tkachenko told CNN.

Tkachenko accused Russia of hitting residential areas with the drone attack, saying a high-rise building the the Solomyansky district of Kyiv was damaged.

Unexploded Mines

Meanwhile, millions of mines and unexploded ordnances are currently scattered throughout Ukraine. This makes it the most heavily contaminated country since the end of the Second World War, said Mr. Heslop.

UNMAS estimates that over 20 per cent of land — or 139,000 square kilometres — in Ukraine is contaminated by mines or unexploded ordnances.

Over six million people live in or around contaminated areas and over 800 casualties due to unexploded ordnances have been documented. This is the real contamination.

But Heslop noted that for every one square kilometre which is actually contaminated, there are 100 which are not. However, that does not mean that residents feel they can safely return to the land. This is the “perceived contamination” of unexploded ordnances.

UNMAS is working to identify which of the 139,000 square kilometres of potentially contaminated land is safe.

35,000 Square Kilometres Declared Safe

Two years ago, UNMAS estimated that 174,000 square kilometres in Ukraine were contaminated. Since then, 35,000 square kilometres have been declared safe, enabling residents to go back to their communities.

The process of demining contaminated land — either by removing unexploded ordnances or by scanning an area to declare it safe — is especially important for families reliant upon agriculture.

Since the start of the war, Ukraine’s agricultural sector has suffered $83.9 billion in losses, due in part to large swaths of agricultural land being contaminated with unexploded ordnances.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has supported over 250,000 families through various programmes, including vouchers and seed distribution. They have also worked closely with UNMAS to clear agricultural land and return it to use.