Voice of Ukraine

A 16-year-old student in Kyiv has invented new protective boots that can save limbs from landmine explosions. Roman Zdorovylo, from the Minor Academy of Sciences, designed the boots with a special platform and four “legs” that protect limbs from amputation when triggering an anti-personnel mine.

From: Euromaiden Press – The boots were created to protect against PFM-1 “Petal” mines and other explosives containing up to 100g of TNT. They will aid farmers, emergency responders, foresters, railway workers, and power engineers working in de-occupied regions of Ukraine. Russian forces have used antipersonnel mines in multiple areas across Ukraine, including victim-activated booby traps, since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Roman was inspired after seeing a video of a Ukrainian armoured vehicle storming positions near Zaporizhzhia. The first soldier out of the vehicle triggered a mine, applying a tourniquet before being pulled to safety, halting the assault.

The inventor and his supervisor Oleh Kozlenko analyzed a similar Canadian product called “Spider-boots” before designing their own lighter, more comfortable, and rigid boots to better withstand explosive force. Their boots cost a fraction of the Canadian version, weighing much less at 1.65kg each.

“Our device is lighter, more comfortable, and at the same time more rigid, which allows it to withstand more load. Due to the metal V-shaped platform, the blast wave travels in different directions, which allows you to save your limb,” he explains.

Roman hopes the state will support the production of the innovative new boots, as his school lacks manufacturing capabilities. His invention demonstrates Ukrainian ingenuity and determination even in the darkest times.