A tragic event has occurred in the Kherson region, becoming another dark episode in the series of attacks on humanitarian workers. As a result of shelling by Russian forces, a 24-year-old demining specialist from the international organization Norwegian People's Aid was killed.
Details of the tragedy in Novopetrovka
According to Alexander Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, the strike hit the settlement of Novopetrovka in the Vysokopolivka community. At the time of the attack, the young deminer was performing his official duties. The injuries he sustained were incompatible with life.
The consequences of the shelling also affected other employees of the humanitarian mission. Four other workers of Norwegian People's Aid sustained injuries of varying severity. All the injured were urgently hospitalized. According to authorities, two of them are in critical condition, and medical staff are actively fighting for their lives.
Systemic threat to deminers
The incident in the Kherson region demonstrates a persistent and dangerous trend: Russian military forces are increasingly striking objects and personnel engaged in demining territories. This is not the first case of specialists dying under similar circumstances.
In September 2025, a similar tragedy unfolded in Chernihiv. There, a Russian missile hit a group of humanitarian mission employees. As a result of the attack, one person was killed and two were injured.
Another sad incident occurred in June 2025 in the Kharkiv region. An enemy drone attacked a group of deminers from the State Emergency Service (SES). The rescuers were on the liberated territories of the Izyum district and were conducting demining work on agricultural land. As a result of the strike, one rescuer was killed.
These facts indicate that humanitarian missions and rescue teams working at the front line and in frontline zones are facing a serious threat, which calls into question the safety of conducting vital operations to clear territories of mines.