«A dog risks his life more than a man»: how Alf and Quad look for landmines in the fields of Mykolaiv Oblast

Demining dogs demining the Mykolaiv Oblast. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs, together with their partners — young Belgian shepherds Quad and Alf, are inspecting the de-occupied territory of the Mykolaiv region. Together they find explosive objects left over from shelling and active hostilities.

Dog experts told the NikVesti correspondent about how demining dogs clear the region.

Now, dog handlers and dogs are inspecting agricultural lands near the village of Kyselivka. In a month, two dogs, together with employees of the State Emergency Service, were able to examine a part of the mined field.

«The area is large, I cannot say how long it will take to demine it completely. It all depends on weather conditions, terrain and many other factors. A lot of areas still need to be demined,» said Oleksandr, the head of the department of special mine-searching works.

According to Oleksandr, the very field that the dogs are now examining has been on the conflict line for a long time, so various types of ammunition are found in this area, including anti-tank mines, cluster munitions and artillery shells.

Demining dogs demining the Mykolaiv Oblast. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Demining dogs demining the Mykolaiv Oblast. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

There have never been any cases of a dog being blown up by landmines or receiving shrapnel wounds. However, sappers who work with dogs have an algorithm of actions for such situations.

«Cynologists have completed a course of pre-medical assistance in the field of veterinary medicine, they have first aid kits for dogs with them. For a sapper there are fewer risks than for a dog, he risks his life more than a person, because he is at a distance, and the dog works precisely in the area that may be contaminated with explosive objects. But we don't think about it, we believe in dogs, they work carefully. A cynologist must also control his dog and be responsible for it as well,» says Oleksandr.

On average, training a dog lasts a year. From the age of three months, the puppy begins to be taught, so that at one year and two months it can go out into the field. However, the head of the department noted that not every dog can go to training.

«This method of searching for explosive objects is the most difficult, so having a dog of the Belgian Shepherd breed is not enough to train it. A lot of work is done here to select livestock. The dog must undergo testing, receive accreditation that it can be involved in such work — it is provided only by the State Emergency Service,» he explained.

Demining dogs demining the Mykolaiv Oblast. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Evgeny received an education as a veterinarian and five years ago started working as a dog handler at the State Emergency Service. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, the man decided to undergo training and work as a canine sapper, and for about a year Yevhen has been working together with the Belgian shepherd Alf.

Two-year-old Alf can inspect 400 to 500 square meters per day for the presence of explosive objects.

Eugene Photo by Daria Rogalevich, NikVesty

Before starting work in a mined area, dogs are trained on a test site to check the animals' ability to work. If she completes the task, the dog starts searching for explosive objects.

«We start with marking: we make safe passages, allocate areas of 10 square meters, as it is necessary to examine. Searches start from the beginning of the square. I give him a command, he goes 10 meters forward and turns back. When he smells an explosive, he must passively mark it with a shrink. This place is marked, I take the dog to a safe place, and then we deal with the place that was marked,» said Yevhen.

The canine expert assured that there was no case of detection of an explosive object after the dog searched the area.

Alf. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Alf. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

The second dog, named Quad, has been helping to clear mines in Mykolaiv Oblast for a year and a half. All this time, the dog has been working together with Andrii Balashov, a sapper-dog expert.

«Quad is a good dog, he learns new skills very easily, I can't say anything bad about him. I like working with him,» he said.

Alf is slightly older than Quad. They both receive commands in Bosnian because they were taught it from a young age, the dog trainer says.

Andriy Balashov. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Quad. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

The head of the department of special mine-searching works added that the dogs are motivated by game objects, in particular balls.

«When the dog finds something or does the job correctly, the dog handler rewards it with a ball. For them, the ball is everything. Emotions from the dog trainer are also important, when the dog works correctly, the dog trainer emotionally praises it,» says Oleksandr.

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Oleksandr, head of the department of special mine-searching works. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

Sniper dogs work in the Mykolaiv region. Photo by Daria Rohalevych, NikVesti

How is the demining of the Mykolaiv Oblast going on?

Ukraine recently updated the country's priority demining plan. According to it, more than 512,000 hectares of agricultural land are subject to priority demining, of which 44,000 hectares are in the Mykolaiv region.

As of December 2023, 30% of the territory of the Mykolaiv region has been mined. In total, it is 754 thousand hectares of land.

At the same time, they are working on demining in the region. For example, as of October 2023, 13 thousand 40 hectares, including 9 thousand 25 hectares of agricultural land, have been demined in the Mykolaiv region.

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Dmytro Komarov, the author of the «World Inside Out.Ukraine» project, visited the mined territories of the Mykolaiv region and showed the work of local sappers. NikVesti also told about a farmer from Kyselivka, who is trying to demine his fields on his own.

About 30,000-35,000 hectares of land remain mined in the Bashtan district of the Mykolaiv region, part of which was under occupation. And in the village of Maksymivka of Pervomaisk community of Mykolaiv region, locals live with an unexploded shell under the foundation of the house.

In general, the demining situation in Maksymivka is currently critical. A year after liberation from the Russian occupiers, the village was demined by only 40%.

Read also the article of NikVesti «Decades are needed: How the demining process of the Mykolaiv region continues.»

It is known that the company «Demining of Ukraine» has developed a device capable of demining the Mykolaiv region for three months.

Also, units of the Corps of deminers are already working in the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions.

Also read the article NikVesti «How mechanized demining machines clear fields of mines in the de-occupied Mykolaiv Oblast».