Explosive devices, their combat use and what to do when determining the location of the mine - this is what Pidpolkovnyk of the National Guard of Ukraine Mykola Serhiyovych Kurgan and his brothers-in-arms told students and employees of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute at a training session held at the university on June 21.
In the reading room of the Scientific and Technical Library of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, where the training took place, and later in the open air in Sosnovy Park, the participants of the training got acquainted with the signs of explosive devices. Experienced sapper officer Mykola Kurgan emphasized again and again that under conditions of martial law, each of us should carefully look at objects that are unfamiliar or unusual for a specific situation or territory.
"In the event of the discovery of unfamiliar objects on the territory of the underground, please inform the station employees about it," everyone has heard such announcements in the underground, at railway stations, and bus stations. So, do not open packages or bags found anywhere, do not touch them, and inform people around about the possible danger." We got used to announcements, but this does not reduce the need to "turn on" attention if necessary.
What if you heard certain sounds coming from an object in the street or in a city park? For example, the ticking of a clock, a series of signals after a certain period of time. And if you found trip wires or wires stretching from a mechanism to some distance? What if an unknown object, package, etc. is hung on a tree or left on a bench? There is only one answer: do not approach the suspicious object, report to the police, representatives of the military security or territorial defense. Do not touch unexploded shells, mines in any case: sappers will deal with such things. Passers-by should also be warned about the situation. While waiting for the rescuers to arrive, you should close off the dangerous place with something and move to a safe distance. Branches, rope, stones placed around the discovered suspicious object should help.
... On the table in the reading room, Mykola Kurgan laid out several models of mines, as well as tools that help specialists identify these dangerous objects in the field and prepare them for further deactivating. Later, an educational film was shown on the big screen, and the interested audience learned that "a mine is a munition designed to be placed underground, on the ground or on another surface for detonation caused by the presence, proximity or contact of a person (vehicle). Mines have a safety mechanism that allows to pick them up and deactivate them. They may have a self-destruct device to detonate the ammunition after a certain period of time." And Mykola Kurgan reminded us that there are such explosive devices: industrially produced, home-made, trip mines, etc. He also warned about the cunning of the frog mine. In the event of its activation, due to its special design, the frog mine can jump to a certain height, which is enough to hit a person during its explosion. An anti-tank mine can be seen due to a slight rise of the ground. This is where vigilance is necessary: it is worth paying attention to the shape, size, color of a suspicious part of the earth's surface; try to see any visible marks, traces on the ground. It is important not to step on the rising ground.
Pidpolkovnyk Kurgan also spoke about the fact that the insidious enemy left explosive devices in children's toys. And the so-called "petal" mine ("butterfly"), "anti-personnel pressure-sensitive mine of soviet production" may be "needed" by children because of its attractive shape. But the consequences of encountering this ammunition, which the occupiers scatter everywhere, can be terrible.
Enemy mine layers may leave anti-personnel mines under an anti-tank one. An insidious plan: when the sappers are deactivating a large ammunition, a smaller mine, which is laid under an anti-tank one, is triggered.
In addition, the enemy laid anti-personnel mines in a plastic casing, for example, under the corpses of the civilians in Bucha, Gostomel, Borodyanka, etc. before retreating from the Kyiv region. Trap mines are designed to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and suspicion. This affects the morale and fighting spirit of Ukrainian soldiers, forcing them to be more careful, which, in turn, leads to a slowdown in movement. This is a familiar rashist mine layers’ pattern according to the world media reports, isn’t it?
Then Mykola Kurgan invited everybody "to the training ground". In Sosnovy park Pidpolkovnyk and his brothers-in-arms demonstrated how an anti-tank mine was buried in the ground, and how its anti-personnel "evil friend" was set off. We were reminded once again, and we did not object: explosive devices (including improvised landmines and trip wires) were powerful explosive charges made from any ammunition. They could be remote, chemical, mechanical, electric or combined. They could be installed with a delay (clockwork). Therefore, we remind you once again: be more careful with unfamiliar objects.
Pidpolkovnyk Kurgan demonstrated the procedure of laying an anti-personnel directional mine. And for this, he laid on the ground to make it clear that such ammunition could hit with fragments at a long distance, and the radius of action of an anti-personnel mine, raised on a metal or wooden stick or on special legs, is considerable.
It is also worth remembering that it is strictly prohibited:
- touch the object and move it;
- use radio communication devices, mobile phones (they can cause an explosion);
- pour it with liquids, cover it with soil or cover it with something;
- touch a suspicious device and exert sound, light, thermal or mechanical influence on it, because almost all explosive substances are poisonous and sensitive to mechanical, sound influences and heating.
There is no doubt that the explosive device identification training, held at the initiative of the Trade union committee of students and its chairman Ihor Stepaniuk, was a necessary event, given the state of war in our country. "Remember," Pidpolkovnyk Kurgan reminded, "only trained specialists can deactivate an explosive device or localize an explosion after removing people from the danger zone."
Therefore, immediately report the discovery of a suspicious object to the Rescue Service at 101 and law enforcement authorities at 102.