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00:00Here in Kamianka, the few remaining residents face danger at every turn.
00:07Russian forces, who captured and stayed in the village for several months, have gone.
00:11But they planted a series of mines as they left.
00:15They destroyed everything and as they left, they placed mines everywhere.
00:22Be very careful when you get out."
00:25Ukrainian mine-clearing experts have been hard at work since the Russian troops left.
00:30That's what it looks like.
00:32I'm not going to touch it.
00:34I don't know what state it's in.
00:35We can't move it, so we're going to explode it here."
00:45Anti-personnel mines are wreaking havoc in Ukraine and more than 1,200 civilians have
00:50fallen victim to them.
00:52With around 23% of its territory littered with these explosives, Ukraine has become
00:57the most mine-ridden country in the world.
01:00Now the Ukrainian government is asking its allies for mines.
01:04According to Kyiv, it's one of the most effective ways to hold back Russia's advance in the
01:09east of the country.
01:10Last week, the US announced it had agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines.
01:17The announcement has prompted criticism from human rights groups.
01:35For its part, the US has insisted that the mines in question are non-persistent, meaning
01:40they become inert after a maximum of two weeks.
01:43For Vadim, who leads a group of soldiers specialised in mines, the US support is crucial.
01:49We really need these anti-personnel mines.
01:55We're facing barbarians, so we're using barbaric methods.
02:00Much of the fighting is unfolding in rural areas of the Donbas.
02:05With most of the population in the area evacuated, Ukraine insists that the use of non-persistent
02:10mines poses a minimal threat to civilians and is vital to hold off Russia's advance.