Donetsk, Feb 28 — DAN. Donetsk People’s Republic Emergencies Ministry engineers carried out mine clearance operations in six streets in the city’s Petrovsky district on Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday evening, Ukrainian forces scattered remotely delivered PFM-1 °C anti-personnel mines in Pavlov, Pobediteley, Lesya Ukrainka, Gogol, Vyatskaya and Gotvald Streets of the Petrovsky district which often comes under Kiev army attacks.
A fragment of “Uragan” MLRS missile was found in bushes in Dinamo Street; its cluster part might have scattered PFM-1 °C mines across the district. The mines were found in yards and streets, and some might have stuck in trees and on rooftops.
The disarming method is simple: you carve a scoop from a plastic bottle and attach the scoop to a stick. The engineer “scoops” the mine and carefully takes it to a safe open area to place on petrol-soaked rags which are then set on fire. An explosion occurs several seconds later.
Demining is performed by trained Emergency Ministry personnel in protective gear. Local residents do their best to help them find explosive hazards.
Mines with self-destruct mechanism which can explode anytime were found in the Petrovsky district, rescuers told DAN.
PFM-1 “Lepestok” is a pressure-activated mine which can detonate at the slightest touch or change in temperature. It is deadly for children and can cripple adults for life or even kill. Ukrainian forces began to remotely deliver mines to DPR settlements in the summer of 2022; 93 people have been hurt in anti-personnel mine explosions in the Republic since.
Meanwhile, anti-personnel mines had also been found in Donetsk’s Kirovsky district by the time this news item was prepared for publication.*jk