NATO experts arrived in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine to conduct mine clearance
NATO experts arrived in the town of Balakliia to conduct mine clearance in the territory of the ammunitions depot, reported the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Yulia Svetlichnaya.
"In accordance with the instructions of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, NATO representatives were asked to demine Balakliia ammunitions depot. They are already arriving in the area in order to carry out routine activities that will allow mine clearing in the territory of the military base itself," Svetlichnaya said, without specifying exactly how many alliance experts would work on the mine clearance.
According to her, 75 specialists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are also working in the region. Resident access in the Balakliia district is restricted by one and a half kilometers from the zone of the military depot.
On March 23, President Petro Poroshenko instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the State Emergency Service to attract NATO assistance for the humanitarian demining of ammunition depots in Balakliia in the Kharkiv region.
During the night of March 23, a fire broke out in the ammunition warehouses on the outskirts of Balakliia and ammunition began to explode. Almost twenty thousand people were evacuated within a radius of 10 kilometers from the area of warehouses. The fire was put out, however the elimination of its consequences, which is primarily demining, continues. Sabotage is currently suspected to be the main cause of the incident but simple workplace negligence has not been ruled out.
According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, mine clearance specialists found 201 explosive items in the Balakliia region on the day before the 23rd. Workers have found a total of 275 pieces of explosive ordinance to date.