MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. Ukrainian armed forces are employing remote mining and drone attacks to blockade populated areas, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry for the Crimes of the Kiev Regime, told a news briefing.

According to the diplomat, there has been a notable surge in Kiev’s use of remote mining targeting civilian infrastructure. "In recent months, Ukrainian militants have extensively used mines to destroy and obstruct traffic on highways, to mine passages, and to place mines in areas frequented by civilians. Drones are primarily utilized to deploy antipersonnel mines of various technical specifications - some triggered by metal, sound, or movement - as well as improvised explosive devices designed to imitate everyday civilian objects," he explained.

He further detailed that attempts by Ukrainian militants to isolate residential areas through remotely planted mines and drone strikes on vehicles have been documented across several regions, including Crimea, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Belgorod, and the Donetsk People's Republic.

A particularly illustrative example cited was the effort by Kiev forces to create an artificial blockade around the town of Alyoshki in the Kherson Region. Miroshnik emphasized that Ukrainian drones frequently mine the highway connecting the city to the outside world multiple times daily.

"An entire arsenal of anti-personnel mines is used to mine sidewalks, paths, and pedestrian crossings, where civilians are often injured," he said. He also shared that he recently visited the Kherson Region and spoke with one of the victims of such attacks.