Over 250 Ukrainians have already died in mines. 170 thousand km2 of Ukrainian territory is potentially dangerous

The reconstruction of Ukraine's ecosystem, which has suffered as a result of the large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation, cannot begin without demining. Cleaning up fields, forests, and water is step zero in the process of restoring our state. Estimated environmental damage from a full-scale invasion is estimated at €55.6 billion – and that's without the damage caused by the terrorist attack on the Kakhovskaya power plant.

The reconstruction of Ukraine's ecosystem cannot begin without demining

More than 250 people have died as a result of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine. This was stated by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Svyridenko, during her speech at the conference "United for Justice. United for nature".

Demining the territory of Ukraine is the zero stage of economic recovery. Currently, over 170,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory are potentially contaminated. Landmines and unexploded ordnance threaten more than 6 million citizens. About 800 Ukrainians have already fallen victim to anti-personnel mines, of which over 250 have died. Mines also harm nature - biodiversity suffers, as well as soil and water polluted by the mines.

In order to quickly secure Ukrainian land and limit future environmental damage, the Ministry of Economy is making maximum efforts in humanitarian demining, working in the following directions:

• Involvement of the latest technologies in the field of mine clearance - remote exploration of territories using drones and satellite images. Work is currently underway on a system that will use artificial intelligence to more effectively analyze and make decisions about demining.
• Facilitating the creation and development of domestic production of mine clearance machines and equipment, and localization of production by foreign companies in Ukraine.
• Creating a competitive market for demining services with the possibility of submitting competitive offers through Prozorro will contribute to accelerating the demining of agricultural land. To ensure that more farmers can use the services, the draft budget for next year provides for cost compensation in the amount of UAH 2 billion.
• Recruitment of specialists for training sappers and other personnel. Ukraine urgently needs specialists. By the end of the year, it is planned to increase the number of sappers to 5,000, i.e. twice as many as currently.

Currently, we are working on various projects with international partners

Currently, together with international partners, work is underway on the draft National Strategy for Counteracting Mine Action. By the end of November, the draft document will be presented for public discussion, and by the end of the year it will be submitted for approval. The strategy will be a practical document that will contain a unified vision of Ukraine and international partners in the field of demining the territory of our country.

Ukraine also offers partner countries patronage in certain demining areas. This may, for example, be patronage over research and demining of national parks and forest areas.