'I lost sight on the spot'

Hundreds have been killed by landmines across Ukraine before and since the invasion. Two survivors tell their stories

- BRYONY GOOCH

Dmytro Guzha was returning home with his wife Elena when he felt the explosion beneath his feet - and then nothing.

"After that, I didn't hear or see anything at all," the 49-year-old says. He regained consciousness a few minutes later and his focus turned to Elena.

“I was really worried about my wife because I saw her and she didn’t move. Then I wanted to try to get closer to her but I couldn’t because my leg didn’t move.” That was the result of the explosion that had ripped through his lower half.

The Ukrainian city of Chuhuiv, in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, faced heavy Russian bombardment in the opening weeks of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. Guzha could see and hear explosions in the air as he and Elena took their ill-fated trip to the bakery.

Most of the shops were locked apart from the bakery, which had a huge line snaking outside of it. After the couple, married more than 20 years, had picked up the two loaves of bread per person they had been allotted, they started walking the familiar route home. Then Guzha’s life changed forever.

Ukraine is the most mine-contaminated country in the world, with an estimated 23 per cent of its land littered with explosive devices. According to the country’s National Mine Action Authority, an estimated 340 civilians have been killed by exploding landmines since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, with another 1,195 people injured by.