3 people injured by tripwire mine while trying to evacuate in Kharkiv Oblast.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Three people were injured due to a tripwire mine detonation as they were trying to evacuate in the village of Starytsia, Kharkiv Oblast, on July 12, the local Prosecutor's Office reported. Six people were walking through a forest belt when the mine detonated. While three people suffered blast injuries, the other three had acute stress, according to the prosecutors.

The village of Starytsia lies about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the town of Vovchansk, which became the scene of some of the heaviest fighting after Russia launched a new, short-lived offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast. The Ukrainian military reported in late June that some of the Russian forces were withdrawing from the area near Vovchansk for replenishment due to a loss of combat capability. When retreating from Ukrainian territories, Russian troops commonly leave them mined.

Since 2022, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land have been contaminated with explosives, making 144,000 square kilometers potentially dangerous. The Ukrainian government reported in April that mine-related explosions have killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.

Russia's advance toward key eastern highway threatens Ukraine's grip of Donetsk Oblast Outgunned and outmanned, Ukrainian soldiers struggling to hold the front line in a brutal, months-long Russian siege of Chasiv Yar are increasingly worried about their army's ability to protect their rear.

If key supply lines from the west are cut off and if troops to their south are overrun, they