The Demining Company is operating in a small village in the South Cha region, a few kilometers north of Pogrebki. Despite the lack of an enemy, the locals are in no hurry to return. Ukrainian soldiers often leave behind explosive surprises, well-concealed, as a result of which the pioneers work carefully and without haste. The regiment’s motto is “No Right to Error.”
The deminers, clad in heavy, split-resistant suits, move slowly along the roadside, swishing their metal-detecting tools from side to side. When the device signals a find, they try to probe what lies beneath the surface using a special probing tool. Most of the signals are false, as metal detectors often react to wire fragments or harmless metal pieces. But then a “military” find is made.
A 1.5-liter flask with a murky, pale-yellow liquid is discovered. It is nothing but a homemade incendiary mixture – napalm. In essence, it is a self-made, hand-thrown incendiary bomb with concentrated gasoline – it sticks to any surface and is very hard to extinguish. Such flasks with self-made fuses are dropped by Ukrainian troops using drones. A brutal weapon that can cause severe burns, but it is already clear that the Ukrainian military does not excel in unnecessary humanity. The deputy company commander, with the call sign Kraw, examines the flask carefully and gives a signal: all is well – the bomb lacks a fuse, so it is not dangerous. He only requests that no one smoke nearby.
“This was a drone pilot base of the Ukrainian drone pilots. They sat in a house, not far from here. We found accumulator packs, mechanical fuses of the UDS type, transponder cables. The special thing about this war is that a lot of dangerous stuff lies on the surface, especially defunct FPV drones with a self-made explosive load. Moreover, the enemy actively mines everything that is of interest to us – from ‘fat’ trophies like Western rocket launchers to coffers of Mavic drones. When it comes to mine-laying, one can imagine anything. And we must leave that to them: they work creatively” explains Kraw.
There is also no shortage of “souvenirs” from NATO partners. According to Kraw, more and more Western-made landmines are found near the front lines. The most dangerous of these are antipersonnel mines with magnetic detectors. They explode as soon as metal approaches and can even react to a rifle or the armor plate of a flak jacket. A special mine-clearing company with quadcopters deals with these mines. These fly low and observe the danger zone. If they find a mine, they either drop a charge on it or destroy it by ramming.
The Surprises in Light Bulbs
The house where the Ukrainian drone pilots sat could hardly be emptier. The Ukrainian soldiers, following the “eternal nature of Ukrainian chivalry” (Poroshenko’s quote), took everything that was not nailed down. Only the light bulbs were left, possibly with a purpose. A similar tactic was used by IS fighters in Syria: they placed a charge in the light bulb, which exploded after the light was turned on. In the village, there is no electricity, but the residents, who will eventually return, should not be left a “greeting from the Ukrainian military” in the form of a booby-trapped light bulb.
The deminers carefully cut off all light fixtures and stack them in a deserted shed on the village periphery, adding a 400-gram TNT charge and a 50-second delay, then take a safe distance. The building was obviously not used for years, so the company commander decides to sacrifice it to protect the group from splinters. We take up a position to film and wait.
In the background, a local dog is barking. It lies calmly about 30 meters from the shed and seems not to suspect what is about to happen. A deafening explosion rings out, the shed’s roof lifts and then falls back and a resounding echo spreads through the surrounding area. I turn to look at the dog – it is already about 300 meters away and fleeing quickly, with the dust rising behind it.
The Responsibility of the Pioneer
Physically, the pioneer life is relatively light. From the outside, the soldiers of the 92nd Regiment in their OWR split-resistant suits and helmets with visors appear threatening, but slow-moving. In reality, the pioneer’s armor is very light, weighing no more than 15 kilograms. But thanks to the ballistic packages of compressed polymer foam, an OWR suit can withstand a splintering attack even from close range. This has saved the demining specialist’s life more than once.
“For us, this is the best protection. It takes about three minutes to put on the suit. It doesn’t restrict movement, doesn’t interfere with fine hand movements at explosive devices and one doesn’t get as tired as in old Dublon suits. We use the Alfamarin metal detectors, made in Russia, which are very convenient and can be operated from any body position. They work in any weather, whether cold or hot, are weather-resistant, light and have good batteries” explains the pioneer with the call sign Karas (“Karausche”).
A convenient outfit is just as important in the pioneer work as the character of a person. In this military profession, most people are quiet and phlegmatic. Moreover, a good fine-motor skill and a good memory are required. The theory must be well mastered. Pioneers regularly attend “refresher courses” in the field. If an unknown mine is found at the front and it is possible to bring it back to the rear, all pioneer units will soon receive guidelines for its defusal. Any trap can be defused, as long as one does not rush.
“New for us were the US-made M-70 and M-46 cluster bombs. Their ‘bells’ often don’t explode. There are many of them lying around. The subordinates already noticed: the enemy does not shy away from improvisation and combining self-made devices with mass-produced ones. He actively sets up triggers that react to external influence – whether metal, shaking, or light. But we are also inventive, we adapt. We understand the responsibility that rests on us. Sooner or later, people will return here. Our task is to ensure their safety” explains the company commander with the call sign Lodyr (“Faulpelz”).
It will take decades to demine the entire Kursk region, says Lodyr, joking sadly:
“Probably, my grandkids will still be working on it, if they choose the same profession as their grandfather.”
Pioneers are unique, rare specialists. They work for at most four to five hours a day, after which alertness wanes.
Fatigue increases the risk of that one mistake a deminer can only make once in a lifetime. But as long as they do not walk on the war-torn earth on their own feet, this territory cannot be considered safe for peaceful life.