Kyiv accuses Russia of planting 'world's largest minefield' in Ukraine

Kyiv [Ukraine], January 8: Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Russia created the largest minefield in the world , causing a heavy impact on Ukraine's travel and agriculture.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal accused Russia of creating the world's largest minefield, while Ukraine is doing everything it can to quickly end the war, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with Yonhap at the government building in Kyiv, Shmyhal condemned Russia and expressed confidence in its ability to end hostilities by regaining control over territories.
He attributed the fighting to the creation of a 250,000 square kilometer minefield in Ukraine. "It is now the largest minefield in the world, not only making travel difficult, but also affecting agriculture, which is one of our main areas," he said. For comparison's sake, 250,000 square kilometers is an area larger than the Korean peninsula or the United Kingdom.
Not even mentioning landmines, the war also caused the Ukrainian people to be severely affected. "Russia is targeting infrastructure in densely populated areas," Shmyhal said, adding that 70 percent of the damage was in residential areas. Other targets include industrial parks and transportation infrastructure, he said.
Ukraine suffered huge economic losses due to the war. Last year, Ukraine's GDP decreased by 30.4% compared to 2021. As of June 2022, the total economic damage has reached 350 billion USD. Mr. Shmyhal predicted losses this year would be $700 billion.
According to him, 50% of the electricity grid across the country has been damaged after 11 air strikes and 14 drone attacks since October 2022.
In another development, CNN reported on January 8 that one of Kyiv's most famous Orthodox churches held Christmas Mass in Ukrainian for the first time in centuries.
The Dormition Cathedral, part of the Kyiv-PecherskLavra monastery, came under direct control of the Ukrainian government after the contract to use the building expired on December 31, 2022. Kyiv-PecherskLavra is also known as the Monastery of the Kyiv Caves and is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
After taking it back, the Ukrainian government allowed the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) to celebrate Christmas on January 7 at the Dormition church. The Mass took place in Ukrainian, under the presumption of OCU head Epiphanius I.
Before the contract expired, another branch with a similar name, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) used the building and celebrated Christmas Mass in Old Church Slavic, the language commonly spoken used by many Eastern Orthodox churches.
Orthodoxy in Ukraine has 2 branches, UOC and OCU, with similar names. There are many controversial information about the fact that the UOC belongs to the church in Moscow (Russia), although the UOC has always denied it.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper