Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlrussia



Russia <![CDATA[Russia is heavily contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), much resulting from World War II as well as conflicts in the north Caucasus since the 1990s. In addition to Chechnya, mine/ERW incidents have been reported in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia. ERW remain an acute problem in Dagestan, specifically in Botlikh, Buynaksk and Novolaksky districts.

Chechnya is heavily contaminated by mines and ERW, but the exact extent of the contamination is unknown. In 2008, Chechen officials estimated 24.5km2 of land is affected—including 7.3km2 of forest and 16.5km2 of farmland. Previously, the UN reported claims by a Russian commander that “123 formal minefields of all types have been laid in Chechnya since the start of the conflict,” and that “all parties to the conflict have used mines around checkpoints, temporary positions and military bases.” The report also estimated that 15% of all munitions used in the fighting for Grozny did not explode.

Landmine Monitor identified 52 new mine/ERW/IED casualties in Russia in 2007. Most reported casualties occurred in Chechnya, as this is the only part of Russia with a data collection mechanism recording civilian casualties, although it is incomplete. Other casualties were recorded mainly through the media, but they do not reflect the full extent of the problem.

In 2007, UNICEF in Chechnya recorded 28 civilian mine/ERW casualties, including 11 people killed and 17 injured. The majority of casualties were men (19), seven were boys, and two were women. Casualties were caused by ERW (15), antipersonnel mines (11), and one each by a booby-trap and an antivehicle mine. Most casualties occurred while collecting food (eight), followed by playing (seven), and traveling (four). Two casualties occurred while collecting scrap metal; passing by, doing housework, and tampering caused one casualty each; and for the remainder the activity was “other.” None of the casualties occurred in marked areas and no one had received mine/ERW risk education (RE). In 2006, UNICEF reported 30 casualties (nine killed and 21 injured) in Chechnya.

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