In Ukraine, land mines left by Russian forces pose a deadly threat

FILE PHOTO: An anti-tank mine is seen in the village of Neskuchne, recently retaken by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 8, 2023. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo

(Reuters) - As Ukrainian forces slowly push ahead with their 2023 counteroffensive after more than a year of shifting battle lines, the country's military and civilians face a deadly problem: land mines, potentially hundreds of thousands of them, scattered across roads, buried in fields and concealed in devastated cities.

There are new, advanced types that can sense movement or destroy vehicles from hundreds of meters away. Most common, however, are older, simple weapons that were produced in the tens of millions and fill the armories of both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries.