JTB_Kherson_sappers_day_2_061
A teddy bear loaded with a live hand grenade rests on the ground where Roman Shutylo, commander of the Luhansk sappers (Ukraine State Emergency Services), and his team search houses and residential areas for live ordinance 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. One of the most common places to find a trap is within childrenâs toys. Once a home or an area is meticulously searched and cleared, the sappers notify local authorities so that residents may return home. Often Roman and his sappers can only search homes for a set amount of hours per day in order to rest their eyes, the primary tool for identifying hazards. 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.