Croatia will assist Ukraine in mine clearance operations in its easternmost region of Luhansk, and this process is expected to take at least 10 years, regional governor Serhiy Haidai was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media on Saturday.

“The first thing that will be done after stabilisation in the deoccupied territories is mine clearance. It will take us several years to clear the entire region of mines. First we will examine the roads and key infrastructure. Croatia has agreed to assist in mine clearance by providing its mine clearance experts and equipment,” Haidai said according to Ukrinform news agency.

Luhansk is one of the four Ukrainian regions that were annexed by Russia last month. However, Ukrainian forces managed to partly regain control of the region in a strong counter-offensive.

Croatia, a member of the European Union and NATO, strongly supports Ukraine in the war with Russia. Croatia fought its own war of independence in the 1990s after which thousands of landmines remained unexploded.

According to the Croatian Ministry of the Interior, 171.4 square kilometres of land in Croatia remains infested with around 13,588 mines and unexploded ordnance, mostly in areas of intense fighting during the 1991-1995 Homeland War.