Military engineers finish their mission in Chechnya by demining over 2200 hectares of farmland

Military sappers have completed this year's mission of clearing farmland in Chechnya. The plan has been exceeded; and in total, over 2200 hectares of land were cleaned of mines and explosive devices, said the military commandant of Chechnya. Next year, these lands will be included into land circulation, said the Republic's Ministry of Agriculture.

Let us remind you that this year's demining programme was launched in Chechnya on April 1.

Prior to 2012, for six years, the land demining is in Chechnya was undertaken by the "Leader" Centre for Special-Risk Rescue Operations and the 179th Rescue Centre of the Russia's Ministry for Emergencies (MfE). However, the Ministry of Agriculture believes that military sappers are better equipped for demining, since experts of the MfE lack special military equipment and sufficient experience in carrying out the work on such a scale.

The head of one of the farms of the Kurchaloy District has noted that earlier tractor operators had refused to plough the fields for fear of getting undermined by fougasses, mines or unexploded shells and bombs.

Let us add here that in the next four years, military sappers will have to demine in Chechnya over 13,000 hectares of agricultural land and more than 7000 hectares of forests.