Women deminers step in to clear up Ukrainian land

  • 3 months ago
Deminer Tetiana Shpak crouches down in a once tranquil poppy-strewn field near the southern Ukrainian city of Snigurivka, now littered with Russian mines. Just a few years ago, this scene would have been impossible -- until 2018, women were banned from becoming deminers, a profession long considered too dangerous for them. But the Russian invasion in February 2022 changed that. More women like her are joining mine-clearance teams, where they now account for 30 percent of personnel, according to official data.
Transcript
00:30I didn't think then that my path would lead me here, but unfortunately I wanted to be useful.
00:42In the first days of the war, all the residents of the city worked for the fortification,
00:46so that they would not go here, God forbid, not to get into occupation.
00:49We worked very friendly, and in the future it somehow developed naturally.
01:00The population does not perceive us as young girls who work in demining,
01:15they think what it is, but we treat this work with inspiration,
01:22we are aware of all the dangers of this work, but we are responsible,
01:27we work according to the standards of the operational procedures.
01:32It happens that a husband comes from a girl, she has a child,
01:53they also want to go and serve, but they understand that this work is safer.
02:00Despite the fact that we are on a minefield, this work is safe if everything is done correctly.
02:05At first, everyone was very worried, but then they realized that in our country,
02:32at the moment, we need this, and only we can do it.

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