Play Brightcove video
Prince Harry told ITV News The Halo Trust was doing ‘incredible work’ clearing minefields from Bucha left by retreating Russian forces.
Prince Harry has entered an active minefield in Ukraine and spoken of his sadness that 30 years after his mother’s famous trip to Angola, yet another cleanup is underway in a conflict zone.
The Duke of Sussex was driven an hour from the capital Kyiv to the town of Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of appalling acts of inhumanity when they occupied this town in 2022.
It was a moment when Harry followed in the footsteps of Princess Diana, who highlighted the work of the demining charity, The Halo Trust, by walking in an Angolan minefield in 1997.
Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in 1997 Credit: AP
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
The workload for the deminers in Ukraine is vast, and Ukraine is now The Halo Trust’s biggest operation anywhere in the world.
Harry left Kyiv as the sun was rising and arrived at the demining site where he saw what he called the “incredible work” the charity is working to make the area safe.
“What Halo Trust is doing is absolutely incredible work”, the Duke of Sussex told ITV News after his visit.
“It’s sad, it’s very, very sad because nearly 30 years ago, my mother was in Angola, here we are again in a new conflict.”
Prince Harry spoke to Royal Editor, Chris Ship, about the necessary work of The Halo Trust
This was where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. As they retreated, thousands of pieces of Russian ammunition and ordnance were left scattered on the battlefield.In other sites we visited with The Halo Trust in Ukraine this week, the mine clearance work is focused on landmines the Russian forces deliberately laid – some to target people, others to target tanks.Four years after this area was liberated by Ukrainian troops, many areas remain unsafe for civilians.
Ukraine is now The Halo Trust’s biggest operation anywhere in the world Credit: ITV News
Prince Harry told us the work will likely go on here for many decades to come.
“The cleanup that is going to be needed here will go well into the next two, three, even four decades”.
The prince was also taken to the memorial in the town of Bucha, where they remember the atrocities which were inflicted on the people living here during the month in which Russia occupied the area.
St Andrew’s Church is the site of a mass grave where 119 of the victims were buried in March 2022.
Inside, during a private meeting, the prince was shown a display of graphic photographs that were taken after the Russian soldiers had left.
They show the bodies of the civilians who were murdered and executed in Bucha, which is now widely recognised as a war crime.
Harry spoke of his sadness that conflict zone clean ups are still needed 30 years after his mother’s trip to Angola Credit: ITV News
It’s estimated 500 Ukrainian men, women and children were killed in that one month under occupation – many of the bodies were set alight in an attempt by the Russians to cover up their crimes.
It is a sobering experience to see the photographs and to imagine the horror of what happened here.
Back in the woods, Harry was shown some of the modern technology The Halo Trust now uses to help with their immense task in Ukraine.
It includes drones that can clearly detect mines or ammunition on the ground and high-technology robots that can enter a minefield ahead of any human.
Harry knows that his visit will help to keep alive the legacy of his late mother, who died shortly after her visit to Angola in 1997.
In a speech in Kyiv on Thursday, he also echoed the words of Princess Diana, who said in Angola that she was “not a political figure” but a humanitarian one.
Harry said to the Kyiv Security Forum: “I am not here as a politician. I am here as a soldier who understands service, as a humanitarian.”
The Halo Trust employs 1,300 people in Ukraine for mine clearance.
“It’s sad, it’s depressing but thank God for Halo Trust”, the prince told us today.
This is the Talking Royals – our weekly podcast about the Royal Family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson.