JTB_Kherson_sappers_day_2_051
Roman Shutylo, commander of the Luhansk sappers (Ukraine State Emergency Services), searches a residential area for possible improvised explosive devices or live ordinance left behind by the Russian forces in the village of Pravdyne, where Russian occupiers held positions before retreating in Kherson Oblast. Russian forces commonly leave explosive traps for returning civilians, children and soldiers before abandoning positions and occupied areas. Once a home or an area is meticulously searched and cleared, the sappers notify local authorities so that residents may return home. Roman and his larger group of 40 sappers, all from the occupied territory of Luhansk, have had three deaths and nine who have lost limbs in the line of duty since the beginning of the Russian invasion while working in the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Pravdyne, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, March 9, 2023.