Since the first year of the full-scale war, the area of potentially mined land in Ukraine has decreased from 174,000 to about 139,000 square kilometers. This result is due to the non-technical survey of territories and their demining by the Defense Forces and demining operators. This was reported by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal following a meeting on the state of demining activities in 2024.
The meeting was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval, First Deputy Minister of Defense Ivan Havryliuk, representatives from the Humanitarian Demining Center, State Emergency Service, Ministry of Defense’s Mine Action Directorate, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, the results of 2024 were summarized, and tasks for the current year were outlined.
Denys Shmyhal reported that in 2024, SES and National Police units cleared almost 695 square kilometers of territory and destroyed over 133,000 mines and shells. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, rescuers and law enforcement officers have cleared about 2,100 square kilometers of Ukrainian land.
“Currently, there are 73 demining operators in Ukraine. A mechanism for compensating 100% of the demining service cost for farmers has been launched. More than 50 agreements have already been signed for agricultural land in four regions. Ukraine has over 200 demining machines, including domestically produced ones. We plan to increase their number and strengthen the repair base,” emphasized the Prime Minister.
He also announced the demining plans for 2025:
- Conduct technical surveys of areas covering 31,000 square kilometers;
- Implement new innovative technologies, including the use of drones and robotic complexes;
- Create a Register of Contaminated or Likely Contaminated Territories;
- Continue the development of a training center for sappers, supported by Japan;
- Establish an interdepartmental training base to work with mine detection dogs and explosive detection dogs.
The Prime Minister tasked the First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy to strengthen coordination between all ministries and agencies involved in demining.
“It is crucial for us to de-mine the country in years, not decades. With the involvement of modern technologies, this is entirely possible. In total, by 2033, according to the National Mine Action Strategy, we aim to return 80% of the territories directly affected by the war to use,” concluded Denys Shmyhal.
