MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Bomb disposal battalions from the Southern Military District will start clearing certain areas in Chechnya and Ingushetia of mines in mid-March, the district's press service reports.
"Bomb disposal battalions plan to start working on March 15, 2014. Thorough clearance work will be done in the Grozny, Achkhoi-Martan, Shatoi, Vedeno, and Zavodskoi districts of the Chechen republic and the Sunzha and Dzheirakh districts of the republic of Ingushetia," it said.
Bomb disposal experts examined over 2,000 hectares of agricultural land and forests and cleared them of over 1,700 explosive objects in 2013, it said.
Southern Military District bomb disposal experts will continue training to use new types of engineering equipment and gear, it said.
"Among the new items of modern equipment aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of mine-clearance work is a remote-controlled robot and a protective suit called OVR-1 'Sokol'," it said.
The suit is designed to protect a bomb disposal specialist from shrapnel. Its elements are made of light and high-endurance polyethylene to protect a sapper wearing the suit from devices having a non-contact detonator or those reacting to metal. The suit is efficient in temperatures varying from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius. It weighs only 8.5 kilos, compared to the over 40 kilos that the Dublon suit currently used by bomb disposal experts weighs.