after the explosion of the Kakhovka dam, where are the mines that were carried away by the current?

In Ukraine, mines are more dangerous than ever for people. After the explosion of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro, on the night of Monday June 5 to Tuesday June 6, many anti-vehicle mines were dispersed according to the currents. The International Committee of the Red Cross warns: it is now difficult to know where these explosive devices are. This endangers the population affected by the floods but also the relief workers who come to their aid.

>> BEFORE/AFTER. War in Ukraine: Discover the extent of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and its consequences

The most affected area is on the left bank of the Dnipro, controlled by the Russian army. Since their withdrawal from the Kherson region, just opposite, last November, the Russian soldiers have consolidated their defense, in particular by laying anti-tank mines which weigh 5 to 10 kilos. “When the dam broke, we saw really large amounts of soil washed away,” says Andrew Ducan, coordinator of the Arms Contamination Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine. “The whole area where the anti-vehicle mines had been laid was washed away by the currents.”

Mines that remain active for ten years

In this deluge of water, the violence of the shocks sometimes triggered the detonators. But in the vast majority of cases, anti-tank mines eventually sink. “They will end up settling somewhere down the river. And the problem we have is that there will be a lot of sand and soil deposits. The mines could end up deep buried “explains Andrew Ducan.

His team, made up of 32 people, including five in Kherson, will try to establish a new map of the minefields. Once the water has receded, they will be able to see how much earth has been moved, and try to determine how many mines have been swept away by the currents. “We are going to overlay our maps. First, the one of the fighting that was going on and the defense zones and then the one of the floods.”

“By comparing the two maps, we can try to guess where these mines landed. But what we can’t do is go into the field because it’s the front line.”

Andrew Ducan, Coordinator of the Arms Contamination Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine

at franceinfo

Clearing a minefield takes time because procedures must be followed. Impossible indeed to demine as long as the war continues. The ICRC, which intervenes on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, says it is very worried about the local populations. Eventually, they may need to cultivate their fields again, but an anti-tank mine, even if it has remained under water for a long time, remains active for several decades.