Cyprus and Latvia will train the Ukrainian military in demining

Cyprus and Latvia will train the Ukrainian military in demining within the European Union training mission.

This was announced during the EU defense ministers’ meeting.

Charalambos Petrides, Minister of Defense of Cyprus, noted that given the hostilities aftermath in Ukraine, the main focus of Cyprus will be on demining.

He emphasized that the Cypriot instructors will be working in the training center in Germany.

Instructors from Latvia will also teach demining to Ukrainian specialists.

Artis Pabriks, Minister of Defense of the country, emphasized that Latvia will work on helping Ukraine both independently and through pan-European initiatives.

“We should also think about further assistance in rebuilding Ukraine, demining, and preparing the entire society for the post-war situation. The Russians leave behind a barbaric mess, destroyed infrastructure, and the country is mined. So someone has to help clean it up as soon as possible,” Artis Pabriks said.

In addition, he noted that Latvia will work on developing the initiatives for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

In his evening address on November 10, Volodymyr Zelensky reported that at the peak of mine contamination in Ukraine, 300,000 square kilometers of dangerous territory were recorded.

“Thanks to the state-of-the-art demining equipment and the heroism of people, it remains to clear about 170,000 square kilometers,” Zelensky said.

It is worth emphasizing that this information was shared before the de-occupation of the Kherson region.

Zelensky also listed the countries that are already providing demining assistance to Ukraine – these include the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Austria, Poland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, and UN institutions.

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, between February 24 and November 7 this year, 271,447 dangerous objects were neutralized on the territory of Ukraine.