«We see a fire — they were almost blown up by a mine». Report from the most mined village of the Mykolaiv region

The Ukrainian military liberated the village of Bezimenne in Mykolaiv Oblast from occupation two years ago. However, today it still remains one of the most mined settlements in the region. After the liberation, the local residents tried to return to their homes, but they were met by the ruins left by the war and piles of unexploded ammunition, which are still lying in the yards.

Larysa Makarenko, a resident of the village, recalls how in March 2022 the Russian military entered them.

«The village was heavily shelled, cassettes were bursting,» says the woman.

After several months of occupation, the family decided to leave the village due to constant shelling. She says that some families stayed until the last, but the situation escalated when the Ukrainian military began to attack from one side of the village, and the Russians from the other. This forced the rest of the residents to flee.

Even after deoccupation, Bezimenne remains dangerous. During one of the trips home, Larisa, her husband and his brother hit a mine.

«My husband and his brother drove ahead in the car, and I and my brother were driving behind... we see the fire — they were almost blown up by a mine,» she recalls.

The explosion injured her husband's brother's ear and destroyed the car, but everyone survived. Returning home was dangerous, but the locals still tried to visit their homes and take things, despite the warnings of the sappers.

Olha Kukhar, head of Tamaryne and Bezimenne villages, notes that before the war, about 50 people lived in the village, there was a medical and midwifery center, a shop and a leisure center.

«The village was very green, there were many flowers growing near every house,» she says.

After her release, she visited the village for the first time and saw the destruction: houses turned into piles of garbage, and where there was once life, there is now wasteland.

«We knew he was gone, but when I saw it with my own eyes, it was a very depressing impression,» the elder recalls.

Despite the work of the DSNS and HALO Trust demining teams, complete clearance is still a long way off. Olha Kukhar doubts whether it will ever be possible to completely clear the settlement of mines:

«I don't know if it can ever be fully demined, there could be anything in those bushes under the houses.»

Mine danger remains a constant problem for the locals. Larysa Makarenko confirms that it is still impossible to visit the village without risk.

«And we're going because we want to go home,» she says about the locals' desire to return to their native places, at least for a moment.

Despite the fact that sappers and international organizations continue to work in the village, its future remains in question. Mine hazards threaten any attempt to restore life in the area, and demining can take years.