HMEIMIM (Sputnik) — The first group of field engineers from the Russian army's International Mine Action Center left the airbase for Tadmur near Palmyra where they plan to set up a field camp this evening.
The military convoy includes BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and is guarded by Mi-24 and Mi-28 attack helicopters.
"Bomb technicians will begin clearing mines within a few days <…> explosive devices have been planted everywhere, so a difficult, painstaking and long task lies ahead, and its time limits cannot be defined yet," the detachment commander Dmitri Veretennik said.
Demining will take place in Palmyra's ancient site as well as residential areas, he added, noting that explosive devices will be taken beyond town boundaries to be detonated.
