Voice of Ukraine

From Ukraine.ua – Andrii Ilkiv, a Ukrainian police sapper and a father of four, had his leg amputated after a land mine blew up beneath him in the Kharkiv region in September 2022. By May the following year, he was back at work, standing on a prosthetic limb, sweeping for and defusing mines.

“Of course, there’s fear when you return and stand next to a minefield, but on the other hand, you know that with the help of a metal detector, a sapper spade and special equipment, you can move and conduct demining work,” said Andrii.

Andrii decided to return because of the large volume of mine-clearance work still to be done. According to estimates, about a third of Ukraine’s territory is potentially strewn with mines or dangerous war detritus.