Reuters
A remote controlled demining machine, created by local farmer Oleksandr Kryvtsov with his tractor and armoured plates from destroyed Russian military vehicles, is seen during demining of an agricultural field, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the village of Hrakove, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine April 26, 2023. [Source: Reuters]
A Ukrainian farmer has come up with a novel way to remove mines left in his fields after Russia’s invasion he’s kitted out his tractor with protective panels stripped from Russian tanks and operates it by remote control.
After Russian forces were driven back from parts of eastern Ukraine by a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year, mines remained in many fields, making it perilous for farmers to sow grain for the next harvest.
Fields around the village of Hrakove are no exception. Oleksandr Kryvtsov, a general manager at his agricultural company, decided he couldn’t wait for help from overworked official deminers to clear his field.
Instead, he designed a remote-controlled tractor that could withstand blasts. Using armour from damaged Russian military vehicles to protect the body of his tractor, he bought a system that would enable one of his team to operate the tractor remotely from a digger’s bucket suspended in the air nearby.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said last week about 30% of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russians and that the government was focused on de-mining agricultural land as quickly as possible.
