A tractor driver in Ukraine was killed when he drove over a Russian antitank mine near Chernihiv, Ukrainian police said on Thursday. It is believed to be the first case of a tractor detonating a mine in Ukraine since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.
Ukrainian tractors have become a symbol of the country’s resistance since the war began, and the incident comes as Ukraine’s sowing season ramps up amid global food shortage worries. Ukrainian authorities are investigating the farmer’s death as a “violation of laws and customs of war.”
“Police found that a 42-year-old local resident was taking out garbage by a tractor. Returning from the field to the village, he stumbled upon a site [formerly occupied by Russian forces] and drove into an anti-tank mine,” Chernihiv police said in a Facebook post.
In the post, police urged citizens to be extremely attentive and careful, especially in areas that were occupied by Russian troops.
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“The Russians left a lot of explosives,” Chernihiv police said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned earlier this month that mines left by retreating Russian forces pose a “catastrophic” threat to civilians.
The presence of land mines presents a new risk to farmers in liberated regions of Ukraine under pressure to ensure the stability of the world’s food supply.
April marks the start of Ukraine’s spring planting season, and with a food crisis potentially looming, Zelensky has asked farmers to sow as many fields and plant as many seeds as possible.
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Ukrainian farmers and their tractors helped keep the country’s spirits up in the weeks following Russia’s invasion. Social media posts chronicled Ukrainian farmers using their tractors to capture Russian tanks, trucks, and missile launchers that got stuck in fields or ran out of gas.
Ukrainian farmers have inspired merchandise, memes, and generally strong support from pro-Ukrainian activists.
