How not to come across a mine and not become a victim of saboteurs during and after hostilities: safety rules

What is the problem?

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recognized Ukraine as the most mined country in the world. Before the war in Ukraine, this position was occupied by Afghanistan and Iraq.

Danger, especially in areas with active or previous hostilities, can occur on a well-known path, in a favorite park, or even between houses. That's why it is essential to be especially careful and know which places to avoid and what not to do at all. 

For your safety, based on the recommendations of the State Emergency Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Children's Ombudsman, Rubryka has prepared material on special safety rules and handling of explosive objects and on safety rules that should be remembered until our country is cleared of mines.

What is the solution?

⚠️ The main rule: do not touch foreign objects, especially if they are lying unattended and look abandoned. Be vigilant and not touch suspicious objects or abandoned toys, phones, household items, etc. Remember yourself and explain to your children that under no circumstances should you touch these objects, approach them or throw something at them. Even a "normal" looking ballpoint pen can be filled with explosives.

⚠️ Pay attention to signs of mined areas. These can be signal tapes, wire extensions (usually at knee level), signs with a skull and bones, as well as with the inscription: "УВАГА, МІНИ!", "DANGER MINES!", "ВНИМАНИЕ, МИНЫ!".

❗️Mined areas may not have any signs. That is why avoiding the areas listed in the next paragraph is necessary.

❌ The authorities strictly prohibit visiting forests. You cannot go into the forest on foot or in a vehicle. The exception is transit routes. The State Emergency Service and local authorities have banned residents of the Vyshgorod and Bilotserkiv districts of the Kyiv region from visiting forests; this also applies to Vinnytsia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. However, it is better for residents of all regions of Ukraine to refrain from forest walks during and after hostilities so that forest walks do not cause fires and people do not put their lives in danger because the territories may be mined. The same applies to the rest of the locations listed below.

❌ Avoid green areas, wastelands, ruins, beaches, dirt roads, and paths.

❌ If you make a stop while moving along the evacuation route, do not go to the roadside (even to go to the toilet), and do not let children run there. Don't throw anything on the roadside!

❌ Abandoned houses and any other premises are dangerous. Grenades or explosive devices can detonate as soon as you open the door.

❌ Do not approach shells, rockets, and mines that have not exploded; they can go off anytime.

✅ If you find yourself in a mined area, you must stay still and call loudly for help. As a last resort, if no one is around, you must go back slowly and carefully, following your own footprints as accurately as possible.

❌ You mustn't run, trying to get out on your own. Don't let other people get close to you. It is not allowed to use a mobile phone or radio communication.

✅ If another person is in a mined area, immediately call 101. Until rescuers arrive, calm the person with your voice from where you are standing.

❌ Do not try to reach the person yourself to free them. There is a great risk that you can blow yourself up in front of this person or kill both yourself and them.

🚸 If your city/village is under occupation or there have been hostilities, do not let your child move around the streets on their own. Even if these are familiar paths that the child walked alone in peacetime.

🚸 Explain to the child how to act if they suddenly find themselves in a minefield and you are not around (these are the same actions as for adults: do not move and loudly call for help).

🚸 Agree with the child on the following: if they notice a suspicious or unfamiliar object, someone else's abandoned thing or toy, they must immediately notify you or one of the other adults. You can tell the child the following: "Now everyone is helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine, so everyone should be vigilant. Tell me if you see any abandoned things or something strange – I hope you are attentive."

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has posted informative photos of types of mines. They have a different appearance and are used in different conditions. The force of the trigger also differs: some can detonate even under the weight of a small dog, and others cannot be approached even within 3 meters, as they have an electromagnetic force sensor and explode if a metal object appears in this radius.

❗️ Carefully study the photos in the carousel below and remember what the mines look like. Do not approach any of them under any circumstances!

❗️ During the shelling, some projectiles may not work immediately. But they are ready to explode at any moment. You can't pick up such "trophies" and make a fire next to them.

The most common explosive items are also listed here:

✅ The Public Health Center recommends immediately notifying the authorities if you find any suspicious items:

Police – 102

Fire service – 101

Territorial Defense or any territorial subdivision of the State Emergency Service (you can find the contact details of the State Emergency Service in your locality here)

❗️ Before calling, move as far as possible from the found device as you came to it. You shouldn't use radio communication means, mobile phones because they can provoke an explosion.

✅ Provide specialists with the most comprehensive information about the suspicious object: its description, location, date, and time of discovery.

✅ If possible, wait for rescuers to arrive, observe the suspicious object from a safe distance, and warn others about the danger. It is also necessary to stop all types of work in the area of ​​detection of an explosive object.

After liberating the cities, rescue teams of the State Emergency Service "clear" the towns of unpleasant "surprises" left by the occupiers. That is why the Ministry of Internal Affairs urges not only not to visit forests but also to avoid hastily returning to abandoned buildings. There may be abandoned weapons, ammunition, regular or trip-wire mines, and many other things that the untrained eye of an average citizen may not notice.

The ban on visiting the forests will remain in effect until the end of martial law. But this does not mean that even after it, it will be possible to go to the forest for barbecue or mushroom picking because demining territories is a long-term process. For example, in the East of Ukraine, the organization Halo TRUST has been engaged in humanitarian demining of lands where active hostilities were conducted for seven years already. So, at least this year, it is better to abandon the idea of mushroom picking and forest walks and wait until the relevant services inform us that it is safe to walk in Ukrainian forests.