MOSCOW, January 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Engineering troops of Russian Armed Forces have defused about half a million explosive devices in 2013, Commander of these special troops Lieutenant General Yuri Stavitsky told Itar-Tass on Monday.
In words of the general, demining work to clean up terrain from highly explosive objects is being done in all military districts in 2013. “Over the past year, 1,580 calls for demining were fulfilled, around 85,000 hectares of territory were demined, more than 425,000 explosive devices were found and defused,” the commander said.
Priority territories for demining are Russia’s North Caucasian Republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia, residential district “Snegovaya Pad” in Russia’s Far East Vladivostok. In 2014 Russian engineering troops will continue demining work, particularly in Chechnya and Ingushetia.
The general noted that demining of terrain and explosive objects is one of the most responsible combat tasks, which engineering troops fulfil in the peacetimes.
Stavitsky also noted that in 2013 priority was given to equipping demining units with new explosive-search devices and individual protection outfits for sappers that surpass foreign counterparts in its features.