Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed “economic terrorism” on Ukraine, stocking its farmlands and Black Sea ports with explosive mines, an official working on demining Kiev told Fox News. “There are already 20 years of mining operations in Ukraine, and for every day of war there is an additional 30 days of mining,” Cameron Chill, CEO of drone company Draganfly Inc., explained to Fox News. (DPRO). his return from Kyiv. Chill is working with Ukraine’s emergency management services to develop drones to effectively locate landmines left behind by Russian forces after they withdrew from areas around Kyiv in late March. Draganfly officials help Ukrainians locate land mines after Russian forces leave Kyiv. (Draganfly Inc.) ERNST TACKLES PUTIN, GLOBAL FOOD SHORTAGE PUTS FOR BLACK SEA EXPLOITATION But the drone expert said the spot where Russian troops left the explosive devices spoke volumes about the war Putin is waging against his former Soviet neighbour. “We were shown some fields that just seemed like there was no reason to bomb them. There wasn’t even any real action in the area from what we were told,” Chill described. “The fact is that if you go and unwittingly bomb hectares and hectares [of land] – this is useless. “It’s becoming wasteful, unproductive land, and it looks like it’s some kind of economic terrorism,” he added. The war in Ukraine has lasted more than four months. In April, Russian officials said Moscow’s ambition in Ukraine was to gain “full control” of its eastern and southern regions, although Kremlin officials only made the announcement after first failing to capture Kyiv after a month of fighting. Officials on the ground have argued that this war is about more than reclaiming former Soviet territory – it’s about crippling Kiev. A tractor working in Ukraine, which, together with Russia, accounted for 30% of the world’s grain exports before the war. (UN World Food Programme) PUTIN PUSHES FOR RUSSIA, BELARUS UNION AFTER NATO EXPANSION Chill said the Ukrainians remain steadfast in their determination to repel Russia’s attack. “There’s a very realistic approach to, ‘OK, what does this really mean next year, three years, five years, 10 years,’” he said. “I didn’t meet anyone who expected this to happen by Christmas. “Morale is resilient,” Chill added. The number of landmines deployed by Russian forces across Ukraine remains unknown, but by mid-May Ukrainian authorities had reported 80,000 landmines and other explosive devices had already been found, recorded and disabled. “Ukraine is now by far the most mined country in the world,” Chill said. Draganfly officials help Ukrainians locate land mines after Russian forces leave Kyiv. (Draganfly Inc.) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Draganfly’s drone technology cannot yet detect underwater mines, but its ability to find and record land mine sites is not only a safer method, but could speed up the demining process by up to 40%. Drone technology is also being considered to help defuse mines, although the expert said the most effective way to eliminate the threat of underground explosives is still to train personnel to defuse the bombs individually. Caitlin McFall is a reporter for Fox News Digital. She can be reached at [email protected] or @ctlnmcfall on Twitter.
