It will take years to clear Ukraine of Russian landmines and IEDs, Zelenskyy saysVolodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo:presidential press service)Invading Russian troops have mined 170,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his Dec. 8 evening address.Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine will have to deal with the explosive hazard for years to come, adding that it will a matter of Russia’s accountability in potential future international tribunals.“This ‘terror’ is even more cruel and vile than a missile one, because there is no such anti-mine system that could neutralize the threat, as our air defense does (with air strikes),” the president said.The Hero of Ukraine title was awarded to Police Colonel Mykhailo Kuratchenko, while medals For Courage were awarded to police captains Ihor Melnyk and Serhiy Nenada, as well as police corporal Vadim Perizhko.“One their way back from seizing weapons and ammunition from the storage that invaders left behind in Kherson Oblast, they fell prey to a mine trap.”On Dec. 7, a Ukrainian police squad triggered a chain of landmine explosions in Kherson Oblast, which claimed the lives of four officers."