Solutions to win: EU to provide Ukrainian troops with sapper dogs and search drones
On November 9, the Carpathian Division of the Polish Border Guard Service in Nowy Sącz (southern Poland) will host a ceremony of handing over the second batch of so-called sapper dogs to the Ukrainian military.
What is the problem?
About 174,000 square kilometers remain potentially mined all over Ukraine, which could take decades to clear.
Rescuers warn that unexploded ordnance can be found in abandoned houses, in the open air, in fields, forests, roadsides, and playgrounds.
What is the solution?
Ewa Modzelewska, the EU Commission member, says the German, Belgian, and Dutch shepherds were trained as part of a project by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs and the EU's Foreign Policy Instruments Service.
She noted that this project is "exceptional" because it is the first time the European Commission has implemented a project to train dogs to detect explosives.
This time, the dogs will additionally have special devices attached to their vests. They will help in detecting radioactive elements, the European Commission representative said.
She explained that this was done because criminal groups stole such materials from hospitals in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
How does it work?
The nine bomb-sniffing dogs were trained by retired police dog handlers from EU countries, and their training took place in Finland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The dogs' training lasted several months, and two weeks before they were handed over to Ukraine, they arrived in Poland with their handlers, where the sapper dogs were being handed over to their new Ukrainian handlers.
Ewa Modzelewska also informed that the sapper dogs handed over to Ukraine by the European Commission will be provided with special shoes, goggles, vests, and food for the adaptation period of up to one month.
As part of this project, the Ukrainian army will also receive several special drones that will help detect mines and other explosive devices. The drone will mark on an electronic map places where there are metal objects. This will speed up the process of detecting explosives and help both dogs and sappers in their work.
The project's estimated budget, which will last until the end of 2024, is €3 million. The European Commission will provide Ukraine with 50 specially trained bomb-sniffing dogs. The first group of nine sapper dogs was already transferred to Ukraine in March this year.
