KIEV, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is counting on international support in mine-clearing efforts in the eastern conflict-hit region of Donbas, Vadym Chernysh, Ukrainian minister responsible for dealing with issues concerning areas that slip beyond Kiev's control, said Wednesday.
"We hope to get donor assistance to resolve this problem. We have preliminary confirmations from many countries that they will get involved in financing," Chernysh told reporters during a press briefing in Kiev.
Last week, the minister said that Ukraine would need 800 million U.S. dollars to remove the landmines and other unexploded ordnance planted during the four-year armed conflict between government troops and pro-independence rebels in Donbas.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the hostilities have left about 16,000 square kilometers of land in Donbas contaminated with explosive remnants of war, making Ukraine one of the most landmine-contaminated countries in the world.
