Michael Tirre, head of European affairs at the State Department, announced at the press conference of the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress that more than 160 thousand square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine should be checked for the presence of mines. He was quoted by the radio station “Voice of America”.
“We know from Ukrainian officials working on the ground that Russian soldiers are targeting civilian homes, including children’s toys, and even the bodies of those killed. The horrific use of explosives by Russian soldiers is reminiscent of the tactics of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, where the terrorists tried to kill as many civilians as possible so that people would be afraid to go back to their homes,” Tirre said.
He admitted that demining in Ukraine is the biggest challenge for sappers since World War II. There are currently not enough teams to de-mine Ukraine, so the US plans to step up assistance with sapper training and provide additional equipment.
The US State Department has allocated $91.5 million in demining aid to Ukraine. With these funds training is provided, equipment is provided for demining operations and the work of demining teams is also provided, the Helsinki Commission said in a statement.
