Six months into Russia's invasion, thousands of shells have pounded Ukraine each day.
Much of the munitions hit their targets, levelling buildings and military sites. Some of the fired ordnance never exploded, leaving a deadly reminder of the war for civilians who navigate around bombs and mines daily.
In August, The National spoke to the Halo Trust charity, the world’s leading mine-clearing group, which has teamed up with Esri, a tech company in California, to track down and log dangerous spots. The programme has now collected about 13,000 data points.
"It's the first time we've done it on this scale,” said Andro Mathewson of the Halo Trust. “There’s a huge amount of information that's on social media; everyone in Ukraine, even in the trench lines, has an iPhone and almost everything is getting reported in real time.”
Earlier this month, the Biden administration said it was providing $89 million in demining assistance to Ukraine to fund 100 teams to be sent to the country over the next year.
Take a look at the gallery above of the eerie landmarks left behind.
More from The National:
UK and Norway donate Black Hornet microdrones to Ukraine
Russian rocket attack on train station kills 25 civilians on Ukraine's Independence Day
'Winter is coming': Ukraine's six-month nightmare poised to get worse
US to send $3bn in military aid to Ukraine as war nears six-month mark, report says
Six months of war in Ukraine sparks scramble to protect cultural heritage
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
