These images show Ukrainian rescue workers detonating Russian explosive devices found in a field, with officials saying they have found thousands since the beginning of the war.
Officials also said that they are no longer harvesting wheat, just Russian “enemy iron”. The images are concerning, considering that Ukraine is often called “the world’s breadbasket” and the “granary of Europe”.
The footage shows workers from the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine detonating Russian explosive devices from the fields of the Mykolaiv region in south-western Ukraine, near the strategically vital port city of Odesa.
The footage was obtained from the SES of Ukraine on Tuesday, 28th of June, along with a short statement saying: “Meanwhile, the enemy is sowing our fields with deadly metal.
“The granary of Ukraine, our south, suffers daily from enemy shelling.
“And every day, we do not harvest wheat, but we harvest enemy iron.
“During the last day alone, rescuers in the Mykolaiv region found and removed 59 pieces of ordnance in the area’s fields.
“A total of 2,865 munitions have been removed in the region since the beginning of the war in the region.”
They added: “Look at the deadly work our heroes are doing.”
And the Mykolaiv City Council, which also relayed some of the images, said in a short statement: “The Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Mykolayiv Oblast continues its work to remove and destroy explosives left behind by enemy shelling.
“On 27th June, bomb disposal experts processed 12 alerts and seized 59 pieces of ordnance in the open territories and fields of the Mykolaiv district and the city of Mykolaiv.
“In total, since the beginning of the war, 2865 pieces of ammunition have been seized and 3386 call-outs have been handled.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 126th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 29th June, Russia had lost about 35,450 personnel, 1,572 tanks, 3,720 armoured combat vehicles, 781 artillery units, 246 multiple launch rocket systems, 103 air defence systems, 217 warplanes, 185 helicopters, 640 drones, 142 cruise missiles, 14 warships, 2,598 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 61 units of special equipment.
Turkey has agreed to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership after having initially opposed the countries’ bids to join the military alliance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson at the NATO summit in Madrid.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, said: “I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.”
US President Joe Biden congratulated the three countries, saying: “Congratulations to Finland, Sweden, and Turkey on signing a trilateral memorandum – a crucial step towards a NATO invite to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our Alliance and bolster our collective security – and a great way to begin the Summit.”
The Russian bombing on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk has been described by President Zelenskyy as one of the “most brazen terrorist acts in European history”. Over 1,000 people are said to have been inside the building when it was hit by missiles.
The death toll has risen to 18 people confirmed dead, with another 59 injured and 25 being treated in hospital. Some 36 people are still unaccounted for.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United Nations to visit the site and has urged for Russia to be expelled as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, accusing the country of having become a “terrorist state”.
Russia claimed on Tuesday that it had hit a nearby weapons depot, with the explosion sparking the shopping mall blaze.
NATO is planning to boost its quick reaction forces from 40,000 troops to over 300,000 troops.
