Kamianka, a rustic settlement in Ukraine’s east, experienced brutal fighting during the summer of 2022. Following months of fierce combat, Ukrainian troops finally retook Kamianka as part of their wider counter-offensive that liberated large parts of Kharkiv Oblast from Russian invaders in September 2022.
Unfortunately, according to Volodymyr K., a resident of Kamianka, “most of the houses in the village are destroyed and only their foundations and rubble remain. Nevertheless,” he adds, “people are still dream of returning to their homes and live in peace and safety.” Larisa S., another resident of Kamianka, concurs: “This is our motherland. My father and my husband built our house. Even if only the foundations of our house were left, we would start rebuilding our home.”
In addition to the destruction, however, the months of intense combat had left Kamianka and its surrounding lands contaminated with explosive hazards. After farming for 23 years, Volodymyr found himself without the means of support, as his fields were no longer safe to work. Similarly, Larisa made the shocking discovery that “here in Kamianka everything was sown with them. The territory of the village was covered with Russian [anti-personnel] mines.”
Volodymyr recounts, “accidents happen on a regular basis.” He knew of farmers who were killed by explosive ordnance only days before FSD interviewed him: “They decided not to wait for assistance and started clearing their land by themselves.
FSD talks with a local citizen to help identify contaminated areas of town.
Unfortunately, they had fatal accidents. It is frustrating to realize that people are dying not only on the front line, but when trying to provide a future for their families and their nation.”
Larisa recounts that about ten people were injured in Kamianka alone: “We know the victims, because they are our fellow villagers. One man’s eye was damaged when a [anti-personnel] mine exploded, others had their feet torn off. About two weeks ago, a 14-year-old boy was injured.”
In response to the danger, FSD has embarked on the urgent task of clearing explosive hazards from the village and its surroundings, supported by funding from the Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. Since deploying to Kamianka, FSD’s demining assets have swept over 535,000 square meters (132 acres) of land so far, destroyed more than 50 Russian anti-personnel mines, and discovered numerous unexploded 152 mm projectiles.
When Volodymyr learned about the clearance, he showed much enthusiasm: “For my family, it’s like a sunrise, we now start to see a bright future. As FSD continues clearance, we understand that the process is not fast, that we need to be patient.
Larisa shares this optimism: “In addition to dreaming about the end of the war, we also dream of rebuilding our native village. We used to have a big, beautiful village, and we want it to be restored and for villagers to come back to it. We hope that the experts from FSD will complete the demining process soon so the area around the village will be safe.” Larisa also speaks about the daily satisfaction of seeing yet another part of the village has been demined. “It inspires and gives you hope. With every square meter cleared we can see the village returning to peaceful life.”
This article by Markus Schindler (FSD) was originally published in the US State Department journal
“To Walk the Earth in Safety”.
