The world’s largest minefield

As Andrij Nalezhatyi, his father and cousin made their way across their frosty plot of land in the village of Dovhenke in Eastern Ukraine in February, they knew they had to choose their steps carefully. Scattered across the field could be mines and other dangerous debris of war. 

It was their first time back on their rural land since Ukrainian forces recaptured it from the Russians in the fall of 2023. 

They wanted to assess the field to see if they would be able to plant a cereal crop there in the months ahead. They didn’t make it far. 

I fell immediately to the ground. I felt pain in my leg. It was hard to breathe, Nalezhatyi said, recalling the moment one of the three triggered a tripwire, setting off an explosion. 

I immediately understood that it was an anti-infantry mine.

By the time the ambulance arrived over an hour later, his father, Ivan Nalezhatyi, 48, and his cousin, 30, were dead.

WATCH | Andrij Nalezhatyi describes the day of the landmine incident:

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Nalezhatyi describes the landmine explosion that severely injured him and killed his father and cousin in February 2024.

Nalezhatyi survived, but his leg and hip bones were shattered. He now has shrapnel lodged in his chest and in his back near his spine. More than two months later, he still uses crutches to get around. A cast covers most of his left leg. 

If he’d arrived at the hospital half an hour later, he would have died, too, he was told.

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