Austria will finance land mine removal equipment worth 2 million euros (about $2.15 million) for Ukraine, the Austrian government said in a statement.
“Since the beginning of Russian aggression, civilians in Ukraine have suffered from globally outlawed landmines and explosive remnants of war. These life-threatening obstacles deny people nationwide access to essential infrastructure,” the statement reads.
The government went on to say that the dangerous land mines also complicate the use of agricultural land.
“Some 10.6 million people in Ukraine rely on demining assistance,” the statement read. ”With already more than 250,000 km² of Ukrainian territory, the area contaminated by landmines in Ukraine is about three times the size of Austria.”
Ukrainian farmers have been forced to clear land mines by hand, risking their lives for planting season