Russian forces have remotely scattered anti-personnel mines on the grounds of a medical facility in central Kherson, local police said on 19 January.
Kherson, a southern Ukrainian city on the Dnipro River, has remained under regular Russian shelling since it was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022. Russian troops now occupy positions on the river’s eastern bank, from where they frequently target residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
The mines were found at a hospital in the Korabelnyi district. Police bomb disposal teams located five PFM-1S anti-personnel mines, commonly known as “petal” or "butterfly" mines, during a site inspection.
Due to the high risk posed by the mines, explosives specialists destroyed them in a controlled detonation, according to Kherson Oblast police.
Authorities warned that Russian forces have intensified mining of residential neighborhoods. Police said winter temperature changes increase the danger, as such mines can detonate unpredictably.
Snow further raises the risk by covering the small, hard-to-see devices, police added.
Residents were urged to follow official police channels and avoid routes marked as dangerous until explosives teams complete inspections.
Kherson: A city under fire since liberation
Kherson, a strategic port city on the Dnipro River, was the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russian forces in March 2022. After nine months of occupation - marked by torture, forced disappearances, and sham referendums - Ukrainian forces liberated the city on 11 November 2022. Russian troops retreated to the river's eastern bank, where they remain.
Since liberation, Kherson has faced relentless bombardment from across the Dnipro. Russian forces shell residential areas daily and, since summer 2024, have used small drones to hunt individual civilians in what residents call "human safari" - attacks the UN has classified as crimes against humanity.
