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Soledar, the town in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, is home to Europe’s largest salt deposits: a vast, cavernous network of underground tunnels extending for about 200 kilometres. Such is the scale of the mines that geologists claim that less than five per cent of the seam has been removed since industrial mining began in 1881. Explored reserves amount to about five billion tonnes.
Soledar, the town in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, is home to Europe’s largest salt deposits: a vast, cavernous network of underground tunnels extending for about 200 kilometres. Such is the scale of the mines that geologists claim that less than five per cent of the seam has been removed since industrial mining began in 1881. Explored reserves amount to about five billion tonnes. © Artemsil

Ukraine: The Battle for Soledar’s Salt Mines 

Russians took control of the symbolic town with commercial as well as strategic purposes in mind.

9 Mar 23
A view of Badara village, in Nagorny Karabakh’s Askeran district, about 25km from Stepanakert, where HALO Trust teams conduct clearance activities. Since 2000, the British NGO has cleared nearly 500 minefields in the South Caucasus region. Since late 2020, however, mines are no longer the only danger. The 44-day war Armenia and Azerbaijan fought for the control of the region has left roads, yards, and houses strewn with deadly explosives like cluster munitions. Clearance activities now focus on removing
A view of Badara village, in Nagorny Karabakh’s Askeran district, about 25km from Stepanakert, where HALO Trust teams conduct clearance activities. Since 2000, the British NGO has cleared nearly 500 minefields in the South Caucasus region. Since late 2020, however, mines are no longer the only danger. The 44-day war Armenia and Azerbaijan fought for the control of the region has left roads, yards, and houses strewn with deadly explosives like cluster munitions. Clearance activities now focus on removing © Siranush Sargsyan

Nagorny Karabakh’s Female Deminers

The region has the highest per capita rate in the world of accidents due to unexploded ordnance.

8 Mar 23

Ukraine: War Teens

The lives of hundreds of thousands of young people have been shaped by Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine.

27 Feb 23

Orikhiv: City on the Verge

The few residents who remain in the shattered town await the next offensive, from whichever direction it comes.

27 Feb 23
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