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Specialists of the engineering and sapper unit of humanitarian demining of the Russian peacekeeping contingent marched to the Martuni district of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and performed tasks to search for and clear the territory from unexploded ordnance in the settlement of Herkhar near the demarcation line, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. 

During the work on an area of more than 5 hectares, about 30 different types of ammunition were found and neutralized in agricultural fields, including artillery mines and shells, anti-tank grenades, grenade launcher shots, multiple rocket launcher ammunition.

When clearing the area, military engineers used the latest unique means of engineering recce and protection: selective mine detectors IMPS-2, protective suits of the sapper OVR-2 Sokol, seekers of non-contact explosive devices Korshun, as well as in hard-to-reach areas with difficult terrain, crews of mine-search dogs were involved.

All detected ammunition and explosive items are taken to a specially equipped Ballydzha landfill for subsequent destruction.

"To date, the humanitarian demining group has passed more than 5 hectares of the territory of the settlement of Herkhar, Martuni district. The total area in this locality to be cleaned is about 20 hectares. Work on this territory will be carried out within a week. During the work, unexploded ordnance of artillery shells, ammunition of multiple rocket launchers Hurricane and components of cluster munitions were found in this and neighboring settlements. Despite the hot climatic conditions, it is comfortable to work in the set of the combined-arms mine clearance suit OVR-2-0.2, since it is equipped with a ventilation system that maintains a constant temperature," said Yevgeny Kholod, a representative of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

Since November 23, 2020, 2195.5 hectares of territory, 657.3 km of roads, 1,897 buildings (including 31 socially significant objects) have been cleared of unexploded ordnance, 25,677 explosive objects have been detected and neutralized.