Sappers report demining 300 hectares in Chechnya

Till present, the military engineer units cleared the Russian Defence Ministry in Chechnya, about 300 hectares of farmland, according to the military commandant's office of the republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a large-scale demining of areas was started in Chechnya in March. The operation involved combat engineering units of motorized rifle brigades of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Russia, deployed in the republic on a permanent basis. Clearing of the lands was held in the vicinities of villages of Kurchaloi, Shali, and Urus-Martan Districts. In May, demining was started in two other districts of the republic the Grozny and Shelkovskaya Districts. It is planned that in general, demining will last three years and will be completed in 2015.

According to the commandant's office, in total, combat engineers have to clear about 16,000 hectares of land areas of mines, land mines and other explosive devices.

"Till present, in the territories of five districts of the Chechen Republic, combat engineers of the Ministry of Defence cleared about 300 hectares of land of mines, improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices. In total, during that period, about 2000 explosive devices were disarmed. Demining continues in a planned mode without any accidents," the "Caucasian Knot" was told by a representative of the military commandant's office of the republic.