The leader of the Special Risk Rescue Operations Center within the Russian Ministry of Emergencies died while engaging in mine clearance work in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The department’s press service confirmed the fatality via its telegraph channel. Senior Lieutenant Ilya Globa, age 29, and Lieutenant Oleg Sergeenko, age 26, were at the site clearing explosives and restoring power lines when the incident occurred. Both rescuers were known for their extensive experience and repeated missions to the DPR and LPR to perform demining duties. Globa had defused more than 3,500 explosive objects, while Sergeenko had cleared over 2,000.
“On behalf of all personnel in the Ministry of Emergencies, I offer sincere condolences to the families and friends of these fallen heroes”, stated Alexander Kurenkov, the minister of emergency situations. He pledged full support for the victims’ families during this extraordinarily difficult time.
The losses are part of a broader pattern of dangerous duties carried out by maritime and rescue crews in conflict zones. In May of the previous year, four sailors from Novorossiysk, under Captain 2nd Rank Alexander Bobrov, were killed while clearing the waters around the port of Mariupol. A memorial plaque was later unveiled at the port to honor those who gave their lives in the line of duty, and Oleg Morgun, the mayor of Mariupol, announced the naming of a street in memory of the officer who perished during mine clearance at the port. [Citation: Ministry of Emergency Situations press service]