Sappers neutralize over 350 explosive devices in combat zone over last week – Defense Ministry

Sapper units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively engaging in clearing Avdiivka from unexploded ordnance since escalation occurred in the area.

Over the last week Ukrainian sappers cleared from mines about three hectares of land in the combat zone having neutralized 362 explosive devices. It was reported by Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak, spokesperson of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense at a press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Engineer and sapper units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have neutralized over 142 thousand explosive devices and have cleared a total of 2,797 hectares of land in Donetsk and Luhansk regions since the start of combat actions. “Over the last several days military sappers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were clearing Avdiivka’s residential areas from remnants of powerful artillery and mortar attacks,” Colonel Hutsulyak added.

Demining units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are getting requests from local authorities, National Police and State Emergency Service to destroy unexploded ordnance. “The use of majority of ammunition discovered and neutralized by the military sappers in Avdiivka is prohibited according to the Minsk agreements,” the Ministry of Defense spokesperson noted.