Over 1,000 casualties, including 160 children, have been recorded as a result of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) since the start of the conflict in Donbas, UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani has said.

"Unfortunately, over 1,000 casualties have been recorded as a result of landmines and ERWs since April 2014, including over 160 children," she said, speaking at the event devoted to the International Mine Awareness Day in Kyiv on Thursday.

Lubrani also said that in addition to physical injuries, there are also socio-economic and psychological consequences of highly mine-affected areas in Donbas.

It also impedes access to conventional infrastructure: markets, schools and other facilities. People also cannot engage in farming, fishing or other activities, the UN representative said.

Lubrani urged to take more necessary measures to clear the territories from mines, assist the victims, and inform about the danger of mines and ERWs.

Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Judith Gough said that Ukraine ranks amongst the most severely affected places in the world for contamination by landmines, ERW and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO).

Since 2018, the support from the U.K. government helped groups of the HALO Trust to clear over 2.5 million square meters of land from mines, protect population and conduct awareness training for over 20,000 people and remove over 800 ERWs, the ambassador said.

She also noted that the exact amount of mined areas in Donbas is unknown.