This horrifying scene depicts the moment two men died when a mine exploded as they were swimming off a beach in Odesa, Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian media, which yesterday released the CCTV footage from the explosion at the Black Sea coastal town, two more beachgoers were hurt.
Authorities in Odesa have warned citizens against swimming in the waters near the port city and have even closed the beaches this summer out of concern for Russian airstrikes on throngs of people.
Many people can be seen on the shoreline in footage taken as water sprays up from the shore after the powerful explosion.
According to Pravda, the explosion instantly killed two swimmers.
A spokesman for the city council claimed that “a group of men” disregarded the warnings against visiting the coast and swimming in coastal waters.
It comes after another landmine that was set off at a beach in Odesa in June killed a father in front of his horrified family.
The Donetsk resident, 50, was instantly killed after stepping on the mine.
Authorities in the area issued a warning: “Police urge Odesa region residents and visitors to strictly abide by the rules of martial law.” Avoid the Black Sea’s coastal protection zone and stay out of the mined water.
A 50-year-old man was killed in front of his wife, son, and friend when an unidentified object exploded while he was swimming in the sea in one of the villages in the Odesa district.
Due to the fact that he went swimming with the victim, the latter amazingly suffered no harm.
“Once more, a strict prohibition on going to the coast and swimming in the sea are security measures that, if disregarded, are life-threatening.”
Since the Russian invasion in late February, Human Rights Watch estimates that thousands of Russian landmines have been planted in Ukraine, particularly in the population centres of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and the Donbas.
Some are triggered by contact, while others go off randomly, posing a serious threat to people in the community.
Despite the fact that Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which was not signed by Russia, this is the case.
After promising to address their “devastating impact” in June, the Biden administration last week proposed a $89 million (£74 million) funding package to remove landmines from Ukraine.
With that money, 100 demining teams will be sent to the nation over the course of the following year, along with instruction in safe mine disposal for Ukrainians.
According to an official, “Russian forces placed booby traps and improvised explosive devices in food facilities, car trunks, washing machines, doors, hospital beds, and even the bodies of those murdered by the invasion,” as they withdrew from Northern Ukraine.
We predict that this will be one of the biggest difficulties with unexploded munitions and land mines in recent memory.
In order to deliberately impede shipping and food supply, Ukraine has accused Russia of employing the naval mines as “uncontrolled floating ammunition.”
At the UN General Assembly in 2020, a Russian diplomat stated that while Moscow “shares the goals of the convention and supports a world free of mines,” it saw mines as “an efficient approach to ensure the security of Russia’s borders.”
Human Rights Watch found “no reliable information” to corroborate Russia’s accusation that Ukraine planted landmines in its own towns and cities.