Ukrainian official: Azerbaijan’s mine clearing vehicle to speed up activity PHOTO

Azerbaijan’s mine clearing vehicle will speed up demining.

“Azerbaijan’s mine clearing vehicle will speed up demining. The mass demining process in Ukraine has been suspended due to harsh weather conditions and will be resumed in spring,” an instructor from the Ukrainian State Service told Report.

The instructor noted that a special mine clearing vehicle donated by Azerbaijan will play a key role in this process.

He noted that it is designed to clear areas of various types of mines. At the moment, the vehicle is in the Poltava region, but it will be used in various regions of the country.

Acting head of the Ukrainian State Service for Emergency Situations in the Poltava region Dmytro Beskosty said that Azerbaijani specialists have trained Ukrainians in using the mine clearing vehicle, and civil service employees will soon begin demining the relevant territories.

“We received a mechanised mine clearance vehicle from Azerbaijan in November-December last year. This is important assistance to our sappers, first of all, to improve the safety of their work. Moreover, it will help speed up mine clearance work,” he said.

The Ukrainian official also expressed gratitude and hope for further cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Beskosty said that about 174,000 square kilometres, that is, almost 30 per cent of the territory of Ukraine is full of mines, the demining process will depend on the number of such vehicles and the number of people who know how to use them.

He also noted that most of the territory will be cleared manually.