MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. More than 32,000 hectares of land in the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR) have been cleared of landmines and explosives since the start of Russia’s special military operation, a Russian general said on Friday.

"By now, over 32,000 hectares of land [in DPR and LPR] have been cleared of mines. Over 2,800 buildings and 280 kilometers of roads have been checked," the head of Russia’s Engineering Troops, Lt. Gen. Yury Stavitsky said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. "Over 975,000 explosive objects have been found and destroyed as a result."

In his words, vital infrastructure facilities - such as combined heat and power stations, power lines, production facilities - as well as residential districts, arable lands and sea shores are a priority.