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Ukraine's canine recruits searching for landmines

Tina the sniffer dog and her handler Karina Buchma will soon be deployed in Ukraine's Kharkiv region to clear minefields.

Ms Buchma and a team of handlers, along with 16 Belgian Malinois, are tasked to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance across Ukraine, the world's most heavily mined country.

About 25% of Ukraine's territory is contaminated with mines and explosive devices, according to the country's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Crews underwent five months of training in Cambodia, and project representatives say a dog can inspect up to 1,500 square metres of land per day, as compared to 20-50 square metres by a person.

The joint initiative by the United Nations Development Programme, the Mines Advisory Group and APOPO - a non-profit organisation known for innovative use of trained animals - aims to boost efforts in demining in the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions.