PATRIOT PARK /Moscow Region/, August 14. /TASS/. More than 30,000 square kilometers of territories liberated by the Russian army in the course of the special operation are subject to complete demining, with minefields accounting for 5,000 square kilometers, the director of the Fund for the Development of Humanitarian Demining and Support for Defense Engineering Projects Andrey Shenaurin told TASS at the Army-2024 forum.

"Today, according to yet-to-be verified data, out of the more than 30,000 square kilometers that need to be cleared up to 5,000 square kilometers are minefields. Therefore, the work will take more than a decade. The scope is quite challenging. There has never been a situation in history of humanitarian demining carried out when the conflict was still in progress. On all previous occasions such activities as cleanup of territories by different organizations and even by the United Nations, followed the localization of conflicts," Shenaurin said in a video interview on the TASS platform.

He noted the great demand for humanitarian demining specialists, being trained by the International Mine Action Center. In his opinion, the number of bomb disposal specialists falls short of the demand.

"Thanks to the development of our defense industry, mechanized demining is being improved. But after any mechanization there follows manual, painstaking work by individual sappers," Shenaurin explained.

The international forum Army 2024 is running on August 12 to 14, 2024 at the Patriot congress and exhibition center. During the event, visitors will be shown samples of weapons, military and special equipment. TASS is the forum’s strategic media partner.