Ukraine is now the 'most heavily mined country in the world,' defense minister says, as he pleads for more de-mining equipment

• Ukraine's defense ministry said his country is now "the most heavily mined country in the world."
• Reznikov said that in some places there are five landmines for every square meter, or 11 square feet.

Ukraine's defense minister called his country "the most heavily mined country in the world" as he pleaded for more equipment to help clear the dense minefields that Russian forces have deployed since their invasion last year.

Oleksii Reznikov told The Guardian that Ukrainian soldiers are trying to make progress despite Russia laying so many mines that in some places there are five mines for every square meter, or 11 square feet.

"Russian minefields are a serious obstacle for our troops, but not insurmountable," he said, adding: "We have skilled sappers and modern equipment, but they are extremely insufficient for the front that stretches hundreds of kilometers in the east and south of Ukraine."

The front line stretches for about 600 miles, according to some estimates.

Reznikov said that he was grateful that many of Ukraine's European allies had agreed in a meeting last month to train and equip Ukrainians clearing mines, but that Ukraine needs help from more countries, and more equipment.

"At this stage of our de-occupation campaign we critically need more mine clearance equipment, from minesweeping trawls to Bangalore torpedoes," he said.

A bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge packed into one of more metal tubes that can clear mines.

Russia has been using mines heavily during the conflict, and Ukraine said dense minefields have slowed its counteroffensive efforts, which began in June. Ukraine has so far only made small gains in taking back territory since the counteroffensive began.

Pete Smith, the head of the Ukraine program at mine-clearing NGO Halo, told The Guardian that Russia has mined Ukraine to such an extent that 10,000 mine clearers would take a decade to rid the country of all of the landmines.

Ukrainian military engineers previously told Insider that Russian troops had mined almost everything they could find, including refrigerators, toys, and children's books, in a bid to inflict as much damage as possible.

Minefields have meant that in some places Ukrainian soldiers have had to leave behind their advanced Western tanks to progress on foot.

Some Ukrainian units have also had to try to clear minefields by hand, according to reports.

And The Guardian reported that one sapper unit had just a single pair of night vision goggles and one pair of spider boots between them, with two of the unit losing feet in explosions in recent weeks.

Some Ukrainian civilians are also clearing mines and unexploded ordinances from their own lands, despite the dangers, with the state services tasked with helping overwhelmed.

Experts told Insider that Russian forces had time to build up their defenses because Ukraine's counteroffensive efforts were delayed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted the counteroffensive to start earlier, but he felt he had to wait for more Western weapons to arrive.