About one-third of Ukrainian territory is affected by some form of landmine or explosive remnant of war, according to the United Nations, posing direct risks to more than six million people and threatening the country’s economy and global food security.
Last year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that Russia deliberately mines towns, villages, forests, and fields in Ukraine to inflict casualties not only on the military but also on thousands of civilians. The total cost of removing the devices is estimated by the World Bank at $37bn and it will require more than 10,000 experts to carry out the work.
Forty countries have so far collectively contributed more than $850m towards these efforts, with the US the largest humanitarian demining donor.
In June, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved a comprehensive National Mine Action Strategy, running until 2033, and a three-year Operational Plan. It aims to clear 80% of contaminated land within 10 years using new technologies — an ambition massively beyond GLOBSEC’s estimate that it would take 757 years to fully demine the country at the current rate of progress.
The strategy has three main aims: ensuring the safe and productive use of land, reducing harm to human life and health, and developing an efficient mine action management system.
The strategy accords with the Ukraine Facility, a €50bn ($54bn) financial support program for 2024-2027 provided by the European Union (EU.) Central to the task is a comprehensive survey of mines in the liberated territories slated for 2024-2026.
This will evaluate contamination levels, bolstering the work of local mine clearance operations. Significant efforts will also be directed towards enhancing public awareness of mined areas, emphasizing the risks involved, and establishing robust victim protection systems.
The Economy Ministry is set to implement a prioritization system for mine action by the end of the year. Usually, work begins by clearing essential logistic routes and energy and water infrastructure, so restoring vital services for communities.
Then the focus shifts to humanitarian demining of agricultural land and public areas. Lastly, efforts extend to demining natural ecosystems, remote areas, and bodies of water.
The ministry has teamed up with Palantir, a data analytics company, and will use its AI-powered platform to analyze data and recommend strategies. The system will propose the most efficient and cost-effective methods, including innovative drone technology and traditional approaches.
The databases will include static assessments, such as the economic efficiency of agricultural land and the proximity of contaminated areas to infrastructure, as well as real-time operational updates.
There is high demand for mine and contamination detection equipment, especially given the Russians’ use of mines with non-metallic detonators. These devices, made from materials including wood, textile, or plastic, are challenging to detect using conventional methods.
The ST1, a Ukrainian autonomous drone, is used to spot anti-tank, anti-personnel, metallic, and plastic mines, as well as unexploded ordnance and fragments. Drones operate in pairs: one identifies mines, while the other marks them for clearance.
Vast areas of Ukraine’s seas and rivers are also contaminated with explosive devices and Western-produced models like BlueROV2, Fifish V6 Expert (capable of diving up to 100 meters) and underwater robots like the Charpie are proving extremely helpful.
Virtual Reality is also being tested for demining and is being used for military training. Using virtual reality headsets, sappers can receive guidance remotely and record for training purposes.
Kyiv has launched a compensation program to clear agricultural land and has standardized the certification procedure for operators. International partners are helping with the training of sappers and procuring equipment and machinery for demining, including Ukrainian-made equipment.
Several domestically manufactured mechanical demining machines are being put to work. The MV-4, for example, is a lightweight robotic vehicle designed for demining and explosive ordnance disposal, which is capable of withstanding blasts from anti-tank mines. Operated remotely, it can clear 1,500 square meters (about 16,000 square feet) per hour.
Earlier this year 20 countries from the Ukraine Defense Contact Group established the Demining Coalition for Ukraine, encompassing both humanitarian demining in liberated territories and combat mine clearance along the frontline.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense also announced the formation of the 5,000-strong Demining Corps, which will conduct surveys in potentially contaminated areas, clear territory in combat zones, and carry out humanitarian demining.
Coordination by governments, international institutions, businesses, charities, and volunteers will assess the effectiveness of the joint effort.
Elena Davlikanova is a Democracy Fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis. She is an experienced researcher and in 2022 was co-author of ‘The Work of the Ukrainian Parliament in Wartime’ and ‘The War of Narratives: The Image of Ukraine in Media.’
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
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