Mine terrorism: threat that unites Azerbaijan, Ukraine

As a result of the full-scale war, Ukraine turned out to be the most mined country in the world. Of all the states friendly to it, only Azerbaijan has faced a similar problem, where mining of Azerbaijani territories in Karabakh continues under the cover of the Russian military contingent.

As Ukrainian “Focus” magazine writes, Azerbaijan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world and its experience in countering this threat, including in the international arena and in the legal sphere, can be useful to Kyiv.

"Today, Ukraine has entered the list of the most mined countries in the world: 30 per cent of its territory remains potentially dangerous," Head of Ukrainian State Emergency Service Serhiy Kruk said.

The international think tank GLOBSEC called Ukraine the largest mined area in the world. Similarly, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) emphasized that Ukraine has become one of the world's largest minefields. According to the organization's data, more than 14 million people are in mine danger.

The commonality of Ukraine with Azerbaijan in this aspect is not accidental. Ukraine is Europe's bastion on the path of Moscow's aggressive expansion, Azerbaijan is one of the main energy suppliers to the EU, compensating for the rejection of Russian gas, the magazine writes.

Taking into account Azerbaijan's regular humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Baku's experience in the area of the mine threat can be useful to Kyiv not only in terms of demining.

For three years, the Azerbaijani authorities have been promoting this problem in international organizations, drawing the attention of the world community to it and defending the interests of mine-affected countries. In April of this year, President Aliyev came up with an initiative to make humanitarian demining the 18th UN Sustainable Development Goal and proposed the creation of a Group of Like-minded Mine Affected Countries.

Baku, which applied to the International Court of Justice to stop the killing and injuring of Azerbaijanis on ethnic and national grounds with explosive devices, in 2021-2023, gained valuable experience in legal counteraction in this context.

"It may take 30 years to completely clear the country of explosive objects," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.

"Azerbaijan needs about 30 years to resolve the issue of demining," President Aliyev noted in a similar vein.

"According to the World Bank, demining will cost Ukraine $37.4 billion," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said.

According to last year's UNDP report, Azerbaijan will need about the same amount for the same needs.

"In Ukraine, since the beginning of the invasion, 124 people have died from mines," Ruslan Beregulya, head of the Department of Ecological Safety and Mine Action of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, said on April 22. According to Ilham Aliyev, up to 300 Azerbaijani citizens were killed or seriously injured as a result of mine terrorism in Armenia.

On April 27, in the Kharkiv region, a brigade of power engineers was blown up by a mine - 1 was killed, 4 were injured; the next day, a brigade of Azerbaijani aerial photography specialists was blown up in Karabakh, three of the brigade were killed.

On May 1, 2023, a civilian was blown up by an unknown explosive device in the Izyumsky district of the Kharkiv region, seriously injured; on the same day, a villager died as a result of a mine explosion in the Jabrayil region of Karabakh.

The November report of the group of international organizations "Landmine Monitor 2022" indicated that Russian troops had planted booby traps and improvised explosive devices in Ukraine since February 2022 in many places before retreating. The Russians left anti-personnel mines, including booby traps set off by the victims themselves.

In February 2023, Azerbaijan’s National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) reported the discovery of a mined mass grave in Karabakh. Armenia foresaw that it would be discovered and mined the area to kill people looking for the remains of their relatives.

"This method is typical for the war crimes of Armenia, even ordinary cemeteries in the liberated territories are mined," ANAMA representatives explained.

In August-November, 2022 a large number of booby traps were found in the settlements of the Lachin region of Azerbaijan, from where the Armenian troops left without a fight after 30 years of occupation. Before leaving, they set booby traps under the floors of the entrances, behind the doors and in the yards of residential buildings.

Although Azerbaijan managed to liberate the main part of its sovereign territory in the fall of 2020 as a result of the Second Karabakh War, Armenia under the cover of the Russian military contingent, continues to mine the lands. In August-November of 2022, almost 3,000 mines were found in the Lachin, Kalbajar and Shusha districts of Azerbaijan. Most were made in Armenia in 2021.

At the same time, as Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted, Armenia not only refuses to provide complete and accurate information about minefields but also illegally delivers and installs new mines in Azerbaijan. He cited documentary evidence that these mines were produced in Armenia in 2021 - that is, already after official Yerevan signed a commitment to a complete ceasefire and all hostilities in the Karabakh conflict zone.

The purpose of the ongoing mining is to prevent the return of more than a million Azerbaijanis to the liberated territories, which they were forced to leave due to the Armenian aggression.

This article was also published by such Ukrainian editions as Telegraf, Gazeta, Kp.ua, Uainfo, Prm.ua.