Chechnya: military sappers de-mine over 200 ha in six weeks

The servicemen of the engineering unit division of the Southern Military District have managed to de-mine over 200 hectares of land in the mountainous part of Chechnya.

"They found and liquidated 30 explosive devices, mostly unexploded ordnance. The major work is being done in the vicinity of the village of Kharsenoy, Shatoy District, where plenty of militants were detected at the beginning of the counterterrorist operation," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by the Military Commandant of Chechnya.

The administration of the Shatoy District has noted that in the winter of 1999-2000 Kharsenoy and its vicinities were constantly attacked from the air and land. "The village was almost completely ruined. Now, the life in Kharsenoy is gradually getting better; however, it's still one of the most dangerous places in the republic for the presence of many unexploded shells and other ordnance," said a source from the district administration.

The de-mining of farm- and woodland should be completed in 2015, while by 2017 the militaries intend to completely clean the entire territory of Chechnya, including mountain areas.