Engineers demine more than half of Severodonetsk territory - Pasechnik

Engineers have cleared more than 50 percent of the territory of the liberated Severdonetsk of explosive hazards, Lugansk People’s Republic Head Leonid Pasechnik said at a meeting with deputy speaker of the State Duma lower house of the Russina parliament, Deputy Secretary of the “United Russia” Party General Council Anna Kuznetsova.

“Mine clearance has been carried out on more than 50 percent of the Severdonetsk territory. Water ways, water towers and wells, transmission lines and gas distributing pipes, i.e. the town life-support facilities were the first to be demined,” Pasechnik said.

The LPR leader added that construction workers and utility companies were operating in the town and that they had specialized equipment.

“Builders have come to the town, the (LPR) government has done well there and utility companies with trucks, cranes and loaders have entered the town. People are very enthusiastic about cleaning up the town, they are clearing debris and sweeping streets. Very many people are returning to the town,” he said.

The LPR authorities’ immediate objective is to create conditions for people to “calmly live through the winter,” Pasechnik said.

Earlier, specialists of the International Mine Action Centre of the Russian armed forces launched mine clearance in Severdonetsk’s central streets.

LPR militiamen began to advance towards Severodonetsk and Lisichansk in early March; taking these towns was a priority of the LPR Defense Ministry. The defense in depth organized by Kiev forces and their use of civilians as a human shield complicated the liberation of the towns. On top of that, the area accommodates several large chemical companies. On May 29, the LPR Defense Ministry said that LPR militia units, supported by Russian forces, gained a foothold in Severodonetsk. On June 25, LPR militiamen and Russian forces took under full control the industrial zone of the Azot works in Severodonetsk. On the same day, the coalition forces entered Lisichansk. Both towns were liberated by early July.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Earlier, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. On July 3, the LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations.

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The Donbass peace talks participants have announced ceasefire more than 20 times since the autumn of 2014. Kiev forces regularly violated the truce opening fire with large caliber artillery, mortars and tank guns which were to have been withdrawn from the contact line under the accords. *i*s