«We are already used to it»: residents of Bilohirka in the Kherson region told about life in a mined territory

The village of Bilohirka in the Kherson region survived the horrors of occupation and hostilities, but until now local residents face another danger every day — explosive objects left behind by the Russian occupiers.

Residents of Bilohirka told NikVesti that they still find mines and shells in fields, roadsides and even in yards.

People live in constant fear, fearing for themselves and their children. Heorhii Prokopovych lives on the outskirts of the village next to a forest plantation where enemy positions were located during the occupation. The man said that the remains of Russian shells and other things can still be found there.

«There were a lot of shells in this forest, they were digging here (trenches, — note). Here are the anti-personnel and anti-tank weapons you want,» said Heorhii.

Heorhii Prokopovych, a resident of the village of Bilohirka. Photo: NikVesti

Sappers are working around the settlement, and although hostilities in this area ended in November 2022, explosions are heard around the village almost every day.

«Yes, we are used to constant explosions and demining,» said local farmer Oleksandr Ivashchenko.

Oleksandr Ivashchenko, a farmer from Biloghirka. Photo: NikVesti

In order to find out which explosive objects Ukrainians risk encountering as a result of a full-scale war, and how to behave in such a situation, NikVesti explained in the material «What are mines and how to act if you find a suspicious object?».

See also the report of NikVesti about two brothers in the Snihurivka district who were blown up by a Russian mine and lost their legs.

How many Ukrainians were affected by mines?

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, over two years, 610 people were injured, 277 were killed during the detonation of mines and other explosive objects. 14 children were among those killed by mines. Most of the victims were in the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions.

Last year, 2023, 17 people, including one child, died in the Mykolaiv Oblast due to the detonation of ammunition. According to the calculations of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), there were a total of 57 cases of detonation of the civilian population by landmines last year.

On November 24, 2022, a case of mine detonation was recorded in the de-occupied Snihurivka community in the Mykolaiv region. Employees of the State Emergency Service were killed and wounded.

On December 15, 2022, a man found two anti-personnel mines left behind by the Russian military in one of the villages of Snihurivka region. The shells were detonated. A 26-year-old man died on the spot. Subsequently, on April 22, 2022, in the town of Snihurivka, near the former mineral water plant, two residents of the community were blown up by an anti-personnel mine.

On September 20, 2023, a car carrying two men was blown up by a mine in Snigurivka. One of them died on the spot, the second man was hospitalized. Later, on October 11, a combine exploded on a mine in a field near the town of Snigurivka. The driver was injured as a result of the explosion and is in the hospital.

Also, on February 1, 2024, four people were detonated by a mine near the village of Yevhenivka in the Mykolaiv region. On March 5, 2024 , a 38-year-old man blew himself up in the village of Bezimenne of the Snihurivka community of the Bashtanka district.

We would like to remind you that on March 12, 2024, an interactive safety class was opened at the base of the Department of Emergency Situations in the Mykolaiv region, where children will be taught the rules of handling explosive objects.

Earlier, in August 2023, Mykolaiv rescuers created a mobile class on mine safety, which works in various settlements of the region. It was created to minimize risks and reach as many residents of the region as possible, especially in the de-occupied territories or in settlements where active hostilities were taking place.