Ukrainian forces manually demine territories where equipment cannot pass – Major Shershen

Major Valery Shershen shared this on Espreso. 

He answered the question about whether there is equipment for demining during the offensive.

“There is a solution, and recent examples show that armored HMMWVs are being extensively used in the Tavria group. They are specifically used to navigate through heavily mined areas. We know how to handle this situation. Right now, the most important thing is what you mentioned - the walking trail. It needs to be cleared, and our soldiers have tools to individually clear mines. We use these tools where vehicles cannot pass,” said Shershen.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south 

• On the morning of June 12, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that the Ukrainian state flag was raised again over Storozhove, Donetsk region.

• She said that over the past week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had liberated 7 settlements and advanced 6.5 kilometers.

• Also, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Pyatykhatky, Zaporizhzhia region, and advanced up to 7 km in the Tavria direction.

• On June 24, the Ukrainian Defense Forces officially confirmed the liberation of the territories near Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk region, which had been under occupation since 2014.

• On June 26, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had de-occupied the village of Rivnopil, Donetsk region. It is located in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region. The Russian army occupied the village in March 2022.

• On July 5, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, established ten military administrations and appointed their heads in the Zaporizhzhia region.

• On July 13, the General Staff reported that on the directions Novodanylivka - Shyroka Balka; Mala Tokmachka - Novopokrovka the AFU had some successes.

• The Defense Ministry reported that as of July 17, since the beginning of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counteroffensive in the Bakhmut sector, the military had liberated an area of more than 30 km². In the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, almost 180 km² of Ukrainian land remains de-occupied.

• On July 18, Major Valery Shershen said that the Defense Forces of Ukraine are fighting hard for Staromayorske in the Donetsk region: Ukrainian forces control a part of this settlement.