Tractor drivers tending to the crop fields of Ukraine are regularly hitting land mines laid by Russian soldiers when they occupied various regions of the embattled country.

Sadly, the Ukrainian authorities have now announced the first tractor driver to die after hitting one of these concealed explosives.

According to the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, a tractor driver in the Chernihiv region died after his machine triggered a mine, which inflicted serious injuries.

Also, in the Kyiv region, a tractor driver was taken to hospital with polytrauma after he, too, hit a device that exploded under the tractor. The next day, another tractor driver was blown up by a Russian mine when he drove into a field. Sappers who travelled to the scene found another unexploded device under the tractor.

UAC estimates that up to mid-May there were 11 million hectares encircled in the battlefield and half of this area could be contaminated by land mines left by the Russians. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, only 22,000 hectares have been surveyed as of May 21.

Military resources are busy searching for and de-activating land mines in the cities, towns and villages, therefore the hunt for explosives in the fields is not a high priority.

As soon as Russian forces are driven out of a previously occupied area, the deminers can start their work, but residential properties, various commercial buildings and roads are first in line. It could take five to seven years to completely clear land mines from Ukraine's land, which will further impact the production of food there.

Farmers are using drones to help search for land mines in their fields but this is not 100% effective as many mines have been further hidden by rain or are well camouflaged.

In one of the latest tractor incidents, in the Kyiv region, the driver was saved because the tractor was big and fitted with tracks. It hit an anti-tank mine with the front part of the track, and the explosion damaged the cab, the engine compartment and ripped off the caterpillar mechanism – but the driver was not injured.

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The farm owner said: “The occupants entered Andriivka village on February 26 and were knocked out on March 30. We have 130 hectares of land in the village, cultivate 30 hectares ourselves and lease 100 hectares.

“We grow fodder for our sheep, and the tenant plants traditional grains and oilseeds. Our tenant started cultivating the land last week and the farm's tracked tractor exploded on a mine.

“Fortunately, no one was injured, although the tractor was new and not cheap. The works have now been suspended. We will wait for demining specialists. If we do not sow, we will have no fodder,” the farmer added.

Iryna Prianishnikova, head of the communication department of Kyiv region police, said: “The problem is that farmers cannot wait for the deminers and perform field work after inspecting them on their own.

“It is wrong, because only specialists can detect mines. You have to wait for them to work safely. There is no other way out.

“In Kyiv region we have up to 10 cases of tractors being blown up on mines. Workers who repair electrical networks are also often blown up. For all such cases, we open criminal proceedings under the article of violation of war customs.”