Nobody actually wins a war because it brings nothing but havoc and catastrophe to everyone involved.
February 24, 2022
On that day, the Russian military forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It serves as a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started way back in 2014. Because of the aggressive invasion, more than 8 million Ukrainians fled the country and a third of the country’s population was displaced.
It became Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.
The invasion also caused energy prices like crude oil, to rise which made a huge impact on the state of the global economy.
The invasion sparked after a prolonged stay of the Russian military on Ukraine’s borders. It began in late 2021 and Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the attack by claiming that Ukraine was a threat to them, deeming it necessary to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country.
Fighting back
Ukraine didn’t just bow down to Russia as the latter’s invasion received fierce resistance from Ukraine’s military forces. During the heated moment, the Ukrainian government received both military and financial help from the United States and other Western countries.
As of this writing, Russia managed to make some gains in the eastern part of Ukraine but failed to take control of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. Sadly, the war only cause a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with millions of people displaced from their homes and thousands of others killed.
Little by little, Ukrainians are trying to be back on their feet by reclaiming their homes and going on with their lives like usual.
Back on track
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a resilient Ukrainian farmer has devised a remarkable solution to remove dangerous landmines that littered his fields. With ingenuity and resourcefulness, he transformed his tractor into a remote-controlled vehicle, incorporating protective panels stripped from Russian tanks.
Following the Ukrainian counteroffensive that pushed back Russian forces in parts of eastern Ukraine, many fields remained laden with mines which posed a significant threat to farmers preparing for the upcoming harvest. Among these affected areas is the village of Hrakove, where Oleksandr Kryvtsov, a general manager at an agricultural company, decided to take matters into his own hands.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation and the limited availability of official deminers, Kryvtsov decided to design a tractor equipped to withstand explosions. Utilizing salvaged armor from damaged Russian military vehicles, he reinforced the tractor’s body.
A remote-controlled demining tractor
To operate the tractor remotely, he procured a specialized system that allowed a team member to control the vehicle from a digger’s bucket suspended in the air nearby.
Kryvtsov explained the motivation behind his invention, he told Reuters, “We started doing this just because the crop-sowing time has come, and we can’t do anything because the rescue services are very busy.” Despite encountering an anti-tank mine during testing, he reassured, “The protection got blown out (but) the tractor is safe. Everyone’s alive and safe. The equipment was restored and repaired.”
Giving farmers a safe workplace
The gravity of the mine contamination issue in Ukraine is immense, with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal recently revealing that approximately 30% of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russian forces. Recognizing the urgency, the government has prioritized the demining of agricultural land to facilitate safe farming practices.
Serhii Dudak, head of the demining unit overseeing the tractor’s operations, expressed the magnitude of the challenge, stating, “We have no time to demine the fields. The amount of work is enormous. It would take years to demine this particular field by hand and to guarantee that there are no mines here.”
The farmer’s ingenious solution not only highlights the resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people but also provides a glimmer of hope amid the arduous task of mine clearance. With continued efforts and innovative approaches like Kryvtsov’s, Ukraine endeavors to reclaim its lands and ensure the safety of its citizens in the face of lingering threats.
Watch how the farmers are doing it by pressing that play button below.
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