The extent of antipersonnel and antivehicle mine contamination in the Russian Federation is unknown. Russia is continuing to progress in clearance of Chechnya and Ingushetia, with the aim of completing clearance of most or even all of these two North Caucasus republics by 2018.

Recommendations for action

• Russia should take the necessary measures to identify the extent and impact of mine contamination (in particular in Chechnya and the North Caucasus) and complete clearance of mined areas to humanitarian standards as soon as possible.
• Russia should be more transparent in detailing the extent of its mine contamination and clearance operations.
• Russia should ensure the protection of civilians from explosive hazards in areas it controls or occupies.

Contamination

Russia is heavily contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) as a result of World War II, the two Chechen wars (1994–1996 and 1999–2009), and armed conflicts in the Caucasian republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were used extensively in the two major conflicts in Chechnya. Estimates of the extent of contamination vary greatly because no systematic effort has been undertaken to assess the scope or impact of the problem.[1] In 2010, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Special Envoy to the Caucasus, Aleksandr Khloponin, claimed that mines affected 14km² of land and posed a major obstacle to development.[2] In contrast, Chechen officials and human rights organizations have previously estimated that 245km² of land was mined, including 165km² of farmland and 73km² of woodland.[3]

In January 2017, a commander in the Russian Armed Forces reportedly told press agency Interfax that more than 100km² of land remained to be cleared in Chechnya, and a further 20km² in neighboring Ingushetia.[4] According to the online media report, areas cleared to date had nearly all been in lowland Chechnya and remaining mined area is in more mountainous terrain, complicating demining efforts.[5]

Program Management

There is no formal civilian mine action program in Russia and no national mine action authority. Mine clearance is carried out by Federal Ministry of Defense engineers, demining brigades of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and by the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), through its specialized demining units (EMERCOM Demining and the “Leader” Center for Special Tasks).[6]

Russia reported that its armed forces established an International Demining Action Center in 2014. The center serves as a base for specialist training in detection and clearance of explosive devices, demining, and operation of mobile robotic tools, and does not function as a mine action center as the term is generally understood in mine action.[7]

Clearance of explosive ordnance in 2016 was reportedly undertaken by 7,264 military personnel, including 684 officers, 63 demining teams, 1,026 vehicles, and 34 pieces of demining machinery.[8]

Land Release

In its Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Amended Protocol II and Protocol V transparency reports for 2016, Russia reported that its armed forces engineering units conducted demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) in 80 regions of the country. In total, more than 306,616 explosive devices were destroyed, including 20,698 improvised explosive devices.[9]

Following clearance in Russia’s “Southern Military District,” including Chechnya and Ingushetia,[10] the next stage of demining, in forests, was planned to start in March or April 2016 to clear mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from more than 70km².[11] Both manual and mechanical assets were due to be deployed, including the new Uran-6 robotic demining system.[12] The Deputy Chief Engineer of Russia’s armed forces, Colonel Ruslan Alahverdiev, has reportedly promised to complete clearance of Chechnya and Ingushetia by 2018.[13] However, in the online media report, it was unclear whether Colonel Alahverdiev was referring only to clearing all roads and forests, or if roads and forests are the only remaining mined areas in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

In its CCW Protocol V transparency reports for 2016, Russia reported that the engineering battalion of Southern Military District of the Ministry of Defense are conducting demining of agriculture lands in Chechnya and Ingushetia,[14] although the area cleared in these regions was not specified.

Online media, however, reported that between 1 April and 10 November 2016, engineering demining units of the Ministry of Defense demined an area of more than 3,600 hectares (36km²) in Chechnya, during which 450 explosive items were found and destroyed, including ERW. Demining was reportedly conducted in six districts of Chechnya: Achkhoy-Martan, Grozny, Kurchaloy, Vedeno, Shali, and Sunzha.[15]

In 2016, the Russian Armed Forces responded to 4,004 call-outs from the civilian population, destroying 51,764 items of ERW.[16]

Progress in 2017

In September 2017, online media reported that combat engineers had been working since April 2017 to clear forests in mountainous areas and foothills in Chechnya.[17]

For 2017, Russia planned to clear 62.3km² of ERW: 12.4km² in the Western Military District, 24.1km² in the Southern Military District, 14.3km² in the Central Military District, 7.7km² in the Eastern Military District, and 3.8km² in the Northern Navy District.[18]

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the mine action research in 2017, including on survey and clearance, and shared all its resulting landmine and cluster munition reports with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.