ALGIERS, Nov 4, 2025 – President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune received on Tuesday retired Russian Colonel and former demining expert Andrei Pavlenko, who played a key role after Algeria’s independence in assisting the country with clearing landmines planted by French colonial forces during the liberation war.
Algeria succeeded in clearing 9 million of the 11 million mines laid, with 2 million detonated during clearance operations or causing injuries to many Algerians.
Pavlenko was decorated by President Tebboune in 2023 with the National Order of Merit during the President’s visit to the Russian Federation, in recognition of his contribution to Algeria’s demining efforts. He was also honored in 2024 by Army General Saïd Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defense and Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, for his role in training operational demining teams.
The meeting was attended by Army General Saïd Chanegriha and Boualem Boualem, Chief of Staff at the Presidency of the Republic.
