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Russian Land Mines Are Killing Ukrainians and Will Take Years to Clear

  • Kyiv mayor Klitschko says unexploded ordnance killing people
  • Ukraine estimates it could take at least 5 years to clear
A Ukrainian deminer carries unexploded material at an airport in the town of Hostomel, northwestern of Kyiv, on May 5.

A Ukrainian deminer carries unexploded material at an airport in the town of Hostomel, northwestern of Kyiv, on May 5.

Photographer: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Russian troops may have withdrawn from northern Ukraine but the land mines they scattered across the area pose a significant problem to a semblance of normal life resuming, according to Kyiv’s mayor.

Vitali Klitschko said the unexploded ordnance is mostly on the outskirts of Kyiv and in smaller towns and on farming land. But, he said, it adds to the concern in the capital that “our city is not safe. Not everyone can feel safe here.”